McCain looks north to victory
ROUND ROCK, Tex. -- Yesterday, John McCain claimed that Barack Obama's alleged doubletalk on free trade was an affront to Ohio voters. Today, he was more concerned about Canadian feelings.
At a town-hall meeting at Dell's corporate headquarters, McCain slammed his Democratic opponents for both saying in a debate earlier in the week that they would consider withdrawing from NAFTA to gain negotiating leverage. The threat was an "affront" to Canada, our "leading trading partner," according to McCain.
Apparently, it's not pandering if they can't vote. Yesterday, McCain cited a report by the Canadian network CTV that Obama economic adviser Austan Goolsbee had assured a Canadian diplomat in Chicago that Obama's heightened criticism of NAFTA was mere "rhetoric" and should not be taken seriously.
"I don't think it's appropriate to go to Ohio and tell people one thing while your aide is calling the Canadian ambassador and telling him something else," McCain said in Richardson, Texas.
Today McCain was blowing kisses north of the border, thanking the "Canadian people for the great commitment they have made in fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan," McCain said. "I think you know how divisive an issue this is among the Canadian population."
If the United States were to "unilaterally change a treaty which is important to them, it could affect Canadian public opinion aversely," McCain told reporters afterwards. "In fact, I've been told that by my Canadian friends and colleagues."
One of McCain's American friends and colleagues, however, came prepared with a little straight talk about the United States' northern neighbors. "If we can't compete with Canada," asked former senator Phil Gramm, "who can we compete with?"
The facts are now out there with names.
"The Obama campaign told CTV late Thursday night that no message was passed to the Canadian government that suggests that Obama does not mean what he says about opting out of NAFTA if it is not renegotiated.
However, the Obama camp did not respond to repeated questions from CTV on reports that a conversation on this matter was held between Obama's senior economic adviser -- Austan Goolsbee -- and the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago.
Earlier Thursday, the Obama campaign insisted that no conversations have taken place with any of its senior ranks and representatives of the Canadian government on the NAFTA issue. On Thursday night, CTV spoke with Goolsbee, but he refused to say whether he had such a conversation with the Canadian government office in Chicago. He also said he has been told to direct any questions to the campaign headquarters.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080228/turkey_Gates_080228/20080229?hub=Politics
1. OBAMA LIED which shows lack of character. He knew he was parsing words yesterday when he clearly knew the facts
2. Obama shows lack of judgment in allowing his senior most advisor on Economic and Trade policy to tell the highest ranking Canadian government
official in the United States (in his region) that what Obama was telling voters was just political rhetoric. More "Just Words"
WORDS MATTER!
When will the press start to fairly report this?
What a minute....McCain is commenting about trade agreements or the economy? He has already stated flatly that he doesnt know much about either. I guess one of the lobbyists on his zi-zag talk express bus must have done some thinking for him. Thank goodness everyone on his staff is a lobbyist, after all who is better qualified to provide guidance to a presidential hopeful than somebody with a paid special interest agenda. Whew! Thank goodness.. i feel much better about things now that John flip-flop McCain has provided his short-cut to thinking on this matter.
This accourding to BB60's own article.....But on Wednesday, one of the primary sources of the story, a high-ranking member of the Canadian embassy, gave CTV more details of the call. He even provided a timeline. He has since suggested it was perhaps a miscommunication.
The denial from the embassy was followed by a denial from Senator Obama.
"The Canadian government put out a statement saying that this was just not true, so I don't know who the sources were," said Obama.
Yet another story with a annonymous source that cannot be identified, confirmed or proven. If you are going to find an article to make a point at least read the whole thing and then evaluate it for its journalistic merits. Just because i read MCCain had an affair in the Journal didnt mean i ran with that nonsense either. The rest of the articel about McCain was troubling but i didnt just swallow it whole like you seemed to do.
CONGRATULATIONS, PRESIDENT MCCAIN!~!!!!
congratulations President McCain;
Happy Presidency to You!!!
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