China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist (551-479 BC) is, of course, not still here to advise the Canadian prime minister on how to react to this country’s embarrassing failure to come anywhere close to meeting it’s Kyoto commitments. Fortunately, however, Confucius left some all-purpose aphorisms that might offer Harper wisdom. In this case:

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”