BREAKING: Dion inching closer to Harper on Afghanistan mission

Tonight Jack Layton and Stephane Dion had their meeting at which the NDP leader laid out his proposal for a united front against the Conservatives to end the combat mission in Afghanistan.

The talks concluded with Dion telling “reporters that he and Layton effectively agreed to disagree.” By rejecting Layton’s overture, the Liberals are now left staring into Stephen Harper’s steely gaze.

While the two leaders agreed to keep the lines of communication open, Layton acknowledged that Dion currently seems to be leaning more towards Harper's position than the NDP position.

"He does seem to be quite committed to the notion that the NATO mission should proceed but just that someone else should move in to do what we were doing there. We see that as very much on the Manley-Harper path."

Interesting will be the effect that Dion's decision to play into Harper's hands will have on the Liberal caucus. Dion told reporters that Liberals won’t be allowed a free vote like the one that saw 24 of them help Harper extend the mission until 2009. This spells big touble for a party with so much division on this critical issue.

After Dion meets with Harper tomorrow, expect more than a few Liberal MPs to come down with another acute case of Dion-dyptheria.