This final dig is a bit gratuitous "Everybody knows that Justin Trudeau is not about to invite Mr. Khadr to Ottawa and apologize to him in person. He’s too cowardly for that." The reasons that he will not issue a personal apology to Khadr is the very same set of reasons Wente enumerates in her column. It would taste very bad to most Canadians. I am not sure that is craven enough to count as "cowardly" and Wente is letting her bias show with that comment.

Like it or not, Khadr has the law on his side. I think settling now probably means we pay less than if it had actually gone to trial. The fact that a settlement and apology are necessary relate to the actions and decisions of his predecessors: Chretien and Harper. And there was no lack of people saying this exact thing to Harper back when Khadr was rotting in Guantanamo. Trudeau is doing the best he can in a bad situation not of his making.

So sure, be angry and frustrated with the outcome. But blaming Trudeau strikes me as unfair.

Labels: moderation: toxicity, insult