McCain coming to Canada for free trade speech
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Canada appears destined to be dragged into the centre of the U.S. presidential debate once again.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain has sought and received an invitation to Ottawa to give a speech next week on free trade.
The Vietnam war hero's presence in Canada's national capital and his choice of subject matter is bound to revive controversy over the so-called NAFTA-gate affair, which embarrassed his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, earlier this year.
Oh, poor Obama, he might be embassassed. Cry me a river of crocodile tears. Doesn't McCain have a daughter living in Canada? Wouldn't that be nice to mention?
Tattersall said the club has checked with three historians and, as far as they can tell, this will be the first time a U.S. presidential nominee has come to Canada mid-campaign.
Oh, so he's making a special trip to reassure Canadians that he will not mess with a trade agreement that provides 80% of us with jobs, and this is a no-no because noone else has ever done that before?
McCain's choice of topic and venue is unlikely to be coincidental. Even if the nominee himself makes no mention of NAFTA-gate, the planeload of American reporters travelling with him will undoubtedly make the link, prompting yet more grief for Obama.
His appearance may also provoke some additional awkwardness for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
How many times can you mention NAFTA-gate in one article? Why should it provide any awkwardness for the PM? We have the big stick when it comes to free trade, it's called oil!
For Harper, any reminder of the sorry episode is bound to be awkward since it originated with his own chief of staff, Ian Brodie.
Brodie told some CTV reporters during the budget lockup that it was rival Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton whose team had signalled she had no intention of following through on her tough talk about renegotiating NAFTA. While Brodie apparently got the candidate wrong, his comments set reporters on the trail of the story, which eventually led to the leaked memo.....
....Harper, determined to prove his government was not intentionally interfering, ordered Canada's top public servant, Kevin Lynch, to conduct an inquiry into the leak.
Lynch cleared Brodie and Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to Washington, last month. He blamed Foreign Affairs bureaucrats for disseminating the memo too widely to maintain secrecy.
They finally at the end of the article get around to stating that NAFTA-gate, was the fault of foreign affairs. Funny how those Foreign Affairs bureaucrats keep popping up. Could they be stirring the pot, first with Brodie and then with a Minister of the Government? Are they a little too powerful? They remind me of the Human Rights Commissions, over stepping their bounds to keep the little kingdom they run safe from Canadians. Someone's head at foreign affairs needs to roll. Or maybe, we should FIRE THEM ALL.
7 comments:
Last campaign Kerry sent his sister to Canada to convince all those US citizens in Canada to vote.
I have always wondered why no candidates campaign here.
McCain also has ason in Iraq, which many also ignore.
Could they be stirring the pot, first with Brodie and then with a Minister of the Government? Are they a little too powerful?
C'est possible. It would not be the first time in history that bureaucrats undercut politicians.
I listened to Leslie Primo on Ched last night deriding the fact that McCain was coming - actually making snide comments like - could he do a talk on marrying a blonde with money - etc etc. WHAT??? I was yelling at the radio.
If Obama were coming Leslie and the left would be fawning and falling all over themselves in anticipation.
We've already been overwhelmed with the media's love affair with Obama and Clinton. Now the media is afraid McCain will bypass their 'filters'.
I read a lot of CP copy where I work, and the anti-conservative spin seems to be getting worse, whether reporting U.S. or Canadian politics.
Please visit one of the US extreme right wing blogs to update your talking points.
Whenever you refer to Obama, you must always mention his middle name, preferably in capital letters. If anyone wonders why you only use Obama's middle name, but never refer to anyone else's, simply call them a liberal and do not explain further.
Now repeat after me:
Barack HUSSEIN Obama
Thank you.
Well, at least the MSM has taught us to read the whole article - down to the last paragraph.
You forgot to note that tickets were SOLD OUT within ONE HOUR.
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