Steve's strangely timed visit to the front line in Afghanistan

Well, geez, this is certainly a coincidence. Our fearless leader visits the front lines in Afghanistan and what do you know, a major battle breaks out there just a day or so later: "Canadians lead major assault on the Taliban." Coincidence? Or well-timed political coordination between the PMO and the military for Steve's political benefit?

Canadian troops have launched their most ambitious assault on the Taliban in nearly two months.

Shortly after dawn on Friday, a multi-national force including Canadians, Afghans, Portuguese and British, began an operation designed to flush out Taliban believed to be in the area near the Arghandab River.

...

The battle, fought under the codename Operation Hoover, is taking place only a few kilometres from where Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited on Wednesday.

You don't suppose the PMO and the military coordinated the exact site of Harper's visit because they knew of the military operation about to be executed there, do you? So that Steve could seek to bask in the reflected glory of the military battle? Um, yeah, I think they might have. From Wednesday's Globe:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper flew to within a few kilometres of Taliban territory Wednesday, visiting a Canadian forward operating base at Ma'Sum Ghar.

"No serving prime minister, in my opinion, has been closer to combat operations than this prime minister today," said Col. Mike Cessford, the deputy commander of the Canadian contingent in Kandahar.

Yes, indeed, he went out of his way to fly to the front lines, two days before a planned military operation and the military helpfully planted the seed with the media as to how close to combat Steve was. Colonel Cessford really tipped it off, hey! Little did we know at the time how candid he was being!

Aren't you heartened to know how well the PMO is coordinating with the military for Steve's political benefit? Anything for our fearless leader...