Dion is in many ways a likable figure, but I do think sufficient evidence is in to show he is an ineffective opposition leader.
What polls tell us strongly is that Canadians generally do not trust or like Harper. He never makes any real progress in polls despite his many efforts to look less extreme than he genuinely is.
A truly skilled opposition leader would have been exploiting this fact all along, making small gains along the way. Canadians just need a figure to turn to.
Any leader would be in a tough place under existing circumstances, but I think a more skilled opposition leader might have gradually manipulated the situation so that the party did not have to support all of Harper's legislation.
Ignatieff, of course, did the party no favor with his bitter attacks in the leadership race, which were promptly exploited by the negative-minded Harper crowd to give Dion a bad start, and I do regretfully think they largely succeeded (there is a clear warning here for the Democrats in the U.S. and Clinton's attacks).
I put the highest priority on not supporting an extension of Afghanistan, for this is a matter of killing and being killed to no good purpose.
It is sad to see leaders supporting a measure of this nature out of the need for political tactics.
