Wajid Khan To Advise Harper On The Middle East

In a surprising move, Steven Harper has appointed Liberal MP Wajid Khan, who is Muslim, as his special advisor on South Asia and the Middle East. I'm fairly sure this is being done to smooth relations with people who didn't like his stance on the current situation in the Middle East.

"Canada's commitment in Afghanistan has focused the country's attention on these regions," Khan said in a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office. "I support our commitment in Afghanistan and offered my services to the Prime Minister as Canada plans for the future. I will report to him on my first-hand experiences and observations from these regions."

Khan will embark on a fact-finding tour of the Middle East and South Asia in the coming weeks. He will then report to Harper "on medium- and long-term opportunities to further Canadian engagement there in early October,'' said the PMO statement.

"Canada has an increasing number of interests in both South Asia and the Middle East," Harper said in the statement. "I am delighted Wajid Khan will be sharing his insights on future developments with the Government of Canada."

PM picks Muslim Liberal MP as Mideast adviser

This is another example of how smart Steven Harper really is. If you can't get a majority, offer the Liberal MP's jobs one by one. The Liberals are a little upset, because their summer caucus is coming up and they don't feel comfortable discussing strategy and issues with a Conservative advisor in the room. Can't say I blame them.

Love or hate Harper, you've got to admit that this was a fairly brilliant move. The only people that could possibly object to this are the Liberals, and maybe the Jewish groups.

Opportunistic? Yes. Really great political strategy? Hell, yes.