Afstan: German reaction to deaths/Poll pushes the Globe's agenda

Two articles from Spiegel Online:

1) Germany Tormented by its Pacifist Streak after Afghan Attack

2) Germany Must Stay the Course in Afghanistan

Saturday's suicide attack that killed three German soldiers in Afghanistan has prompted left-wing calls for a review of Germany's entire peacekeeping mission. But most newspaper commentators say bringing the boys home would hand the Taliban a triumph.

As for "pacificism": Canadians support talks with Taliban: poll

"In a way, it's a very Canadian thing to believe that nothing can't be solved by sitting across a table and talking," Peter Donolo of The Strategic Counsel told CTV.ca on Sunday.

However, Canadians might also think the mission is a morass, with no real end point in sight, he said...

Of course the Globe and Mail sponsored the poll, along with CTV. Gotta keep pushing that agenda forward. While this part of the broader poll has not yet been covered in the Globe, I'm pretty sure it will be in the May 22 edition.

As for Mr Donolo, this is from the Milnet.ca thread on the story:

Peter Donolo leads The Strategic Counsel's strategic communications practice.

From 1993 to 1999, Peter served as Director of Communications in the Prime Minister's Office and chief communications strategist for Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his government. In that position, Peter established a strong record in developing successful communications strategies for the most important government initiatives and most contentious political and public policy issues of the past decade. In the process, he established a strong personal reputation in one of the most intense and high-pressured jobs of its kind.

Following his tenure in the PMO, Peter served for two years as Canadian Consul General to Milan...

Kind of gives one furiously to think why the Globe and CTV are hiring his services.

Update: I was wrong. The Globe (unlike CTV which is part of the same company) has not, for reasons which escape me, reported on the negotiation section of this poll.

Upperdate: Most Germans want to pull out of Afghanistan-poll

Nearly two thirds of Germans want their troops to withdraw from Afghanistan after three German peacekeeping soldiers were killed over the weekend, a poll published on Wednesday showed.

Carried out on Monday by the Forsa polling agency for weekly Stern magazine, the poll showed 63 percent of respondents believe Germany's Bundeswehr armed forces should withdraw from Afghanistan compared to 35 percent in favour of remaining...

Recent polls show Canadians are also becoming increasingly uneasy about their troops' involvement in Afghanistan.

During a visit to Afghanistan by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged countries to remain in Afghanistan until the country manages to stay on its own feet or else "terrorists" will strike again.

Uppestdate: SDA shows how Charles Adler fisked the polling firm, Strategic Council.