Well, THAT was long ;-)

[Fig]

Barely one week since the election, and Stephen Harper ALREADY got in a spat with the American ambassador.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060127/ca_pr_on_na/arctic_sovereignty_3

Is that's our "American-friendly" government the republicans were so hopeful about?

(Note to America : remind your next governor that he is, no in fact, the next Colonial Governor of Canada. The last two had a distressing lack of skill for diplomacy, and an even more distressing skill for trying to tell Canadians what to do.

And then you guys have the gall to wonder about "anti-americanism" in Canada.)

 

[The Big Al]

You know this is about ANWR. Some of the oil deposits are under the Yukon and Bush wants to be able get that without going through Canada. Though if the Canadians take their Arctic borders seriously, then that plan is out the window.

What was Bush expecting? Now that the Canadians have a conservitive PM they'll agree with him without question? No wonder Bush is losing on all fronts.

Bush wouldn't good diplomacy if it came up and bit him on the nose. Unfortunately, most Americans are like that. I don't know why, but they just are.

 

[GrnMarvl14]

What was Bush expecting? Now that the Canadians have a conservitive PM they'll agree with him without question?

Worked in Britain.

And I HAVE to ask. How big a threat are they expecting in the Arctic region? I mean...this isn't the Cold War. Or is it just general paranoia?

 

[The Big Al]

Worked in Britain.

And I HAVE to ask. How big a threat are they expecting in the Arctic region? I mean...this isn't the Cold War. Or is it just general paranoia?

It's about oil. Part of the artic oil lies under Canadian soil. Canada knows the US is trying to drill there's and wants to make sure their share isn't taken. It's always about the oil.

 

[Jukain]

This is bad. If Canada goes against us, then the world will never forgive us. It is their land to defend. I applaud the Canadians, but I do hope that this does not ruin relations.

 

[A Concerned Solomon]

I'm not sure it's so much that Americans can't recognize diplomacy as the fact that non-Middle East foreign policy doesn't even come up as an important issue right now. Blame whoever you will for this, be it the Media, John Kerry, or Canada itself for not trying to make its presence known, I don't know.