CTV spinning the Afghan news/President Karzai responds to "Top Guns"

This is bad, agenda-driven (get the government) journalism. Compare the first paragraph...

NATO agrees its time [emphasis added] for the role of foreign troops in Afghanistan to shift away from one of combat to one of support, says a spokesperson for the international organization...

With what follows:

James Appathurai discussed the NATO position after Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and deputy leader Michael Ignatieff visited the war-torn nation and called for Canada to stay on beyond February 2009 when the mission is scheduled to end, but in a non-combat role.

"I think actually we all agree on the end state -- NATO and I think probably the political parties here too -- and that's transition," Appathurai, a Canadian, told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.

"We want to move to a phase where the Afghans are in the lead and we provide support, training, close air support, emergency support but let them do the frontline fighting. It's a question of when [emphasis added]."

Appathurai, who recently returned from a visit to the Panjwaii region of Afghanistan, said that transition -- which many see as no more than a distant and unlikely possibility -- may actually not be that far off [emphasis added].

"We have two Afghan battalions now, with Canadian troops, and taking an increasingly leading role. But the key is, from my perspective but also from NATO's perspective, we haven't reached a tipping point. We're not at the phase where we can take that step [emphasis added]."..

Draw your own conclusion.

Update: Holy ass-covering. CTV has re-written the first paragraph actually to reflect the rest of the text:

The ultimate goal of the NATO mission [emphasis added] in Afghanistan is for the Afghans to take the lead, with NATO troops transitioning to a support role, says a spokesperson for the international organization.

Upperdate: The "diplomatic" Afghan reaction to the views of Messrs Dion and Ignatieff, those Liberal "Top Guns":

Behind their courteous pleasantries, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his senior cabinet reject the Liberal position that Canada should end its combat mission in southern Afghanistan by February 2009...

Karzai spoke of the need to continue fighting terrorism "head on," while his foreign minister and parliamentary house leader emphasized the need for the Canadian Forces to stick to their primary purpose in Kandahar - fighting the Taliban insurgency...

Karzai added: "The events of Sept. 11 serves us well in reminding ourselves that not fighting terrorism head-on can have disastrous consequences for Afghanistan, the region and the world at large."...

One awaits any clarification at the Liberal party website.