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Canadian Embassy: We're Really Sorry We Threw A Wrench Into Your Election
The Canadian embassy issues a new statement that tries to clear up the latest Goolsbee mess.
As you know, the latest round started when the Associated Press got hold of a memo written by a Canadian official saying that Goolsbee had in fact suggested that Obama's NAFTA talk was more about politics than policy. Here's the Canadian Embassy's statement on the whole affair:
The Canadian Embassy and our Consulates General regularly contact those involved in all of the Presidential campaigns and, periodically, report on these contacts to interested officials. In the recent report produced by the Consulate General in Chicago, there was no intention to convey, in any way, that Senator Obama and his campaign team were taking a different position in public from views expressed in private, including about NAFTA. We deeply regret any inference that may have been drawn to that effect.
Separately, the Associated Press has released some of the contents of the memo itself. More on that soon.
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Too late. Deeply regret doesn't cut it either. I wonder if the clintons promised a cushy job at the UN to these canadian officials. Wouldn't be surprised.
March 3, 2008 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Goolsbee says his remarks were misrepresented, then the Cnadian embassy backs him up.
March 3, 2008 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I seriously doubt that. The memo is perfectly in line with what Goolsbee, right-leaning economist, would say. If you'll notice the denials from Obama's camp, Goolsbee first disputed the phrasing and then Burton said Goolsbee wasn't in a position to communicate on behalf of the campaign. Pretty weak, if you ask me.
Anyway, I'm very much in the pro-trade camp and was sad to see Obama demagogue the NAFTA issue. Still, I don't think the monkey wrench was thrown at Clinton's behest, but rather the administrations. Obama's general election strength vs. McCain and fund raising prowess have to have the administration worried. Obama's campaign is the Bush campaign on steroids, except that Obama isn't an incurious, soulless idiot.
March 3, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Waiting for Hillary supporters to start desperately trying to spin this as something important in:
3.....
2.....
March 3, 2008 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is this a reasonable enough excuse to finally bomb Canada?
Please?
March 3, 2008 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton's morning, Obama's afternoon.
March 3, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I notice that the cable news stations are all covering this issue big time, which is more than could be said about it on Friday. This is surely good news for Sen Clinton. I am still not convinced that this will be of much long-term interest (I expect by Wednesday that this story will be rather drowned out amidst the analysis of tomorrow's returns), but it might yet have an impact on tomorrow's races.
March 3, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd guess 1 in 1000 voters even know about this issue.
March 3, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
BTW guys I found some brilliant/awesome analysis on Obama’s Fundraising on the campaign. I haven’t seen anything like this mentioned anywhere in the MSM.
Check out the article “Follow the Money” on http://savagepolitics.com/?p=165 and "Barack Obama's Apostasy" http://savagepolitics.com/?p=101
March 3, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I've been looking at your links but have yet to find more than bluster and speculation. The worst they have to say is:
Of course, another explanation is that enough "unbundled" people have donated over $1000 individually, out of their enthusiasm for this candidate. I think I'm getting close to that amount.
But more telling is the fact that relatively few of Obama's contributors have maxed out. Bundled contributions are often for the maximum.
March 3, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Click on his name to see his previous posts :)
March 3, 2008 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish there was a algorithm that blogs would use to filter out repeat cut and paste spam bots like this. Craigslist.com uses a prety effective algorithm to stop people from spam posting.... just a suggestion.
-if not mabye a flag feature, where posters could at least bring repeat offenders to the attention of whoever moderates this. Although I do find the "THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!" guy to be funny sometimes :)
March 3, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are you kidding me??????????????
March 4, 2008 12:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Will the Clinton campaign make any comment about how they have seized on a non-issue to score political points, knowing that the press will do a reasonably poor job of actually digging up the facts?
*Crickets*
The media is biased, unfair, and bad, except when it's trained on Obama, and then it's doing its job.
March 3, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Operation Shock and Eh?
March 3, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I told you so.
I called it this morning and said Greg should do more work on this, so thank you very much Greg, if your calls to the embassy were responsible in part for the embassy trying to undo this train wreck.
or should I say, uncluster this fuster-cluck?
And great to hear somebody is getting the full text of the memo. What does it mean when you say the AP has "released" some of the memo? Where can we find what has been disclosed so far?
March 3, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
we *definitely* need to launch a Predator drone over Ottawa to pick off the next Tory dork trying to sabotage our primary elections :-b
March 3, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Canadian Embassy: We're Really Sorry, We Had No Idea Americans Even Knew We Had TV Way Up Here.
March 3, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Slate has a nice delegate slide calculator on their website. For Clinton to win She would have to do better in every single race including the ones tomorrow then she did in her home state of NY. which was 57 for her and is the 2nd best she did, 1st was her other homestate.
She would have to do 58 % for every race including the ones tomorrow.
March 3, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure this clarification helps Obama.
The damage is done, is integrity is questioned.
Who cares if he was actually telling the truth? The Hillary Supporter? Will the independent care? What percentage?
Meh, maybe I need to just log-off until Wednesday...
March 3, 2008 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
So atm CNN is talking about this but does it mention that this part about Canada?
Of course not.
Now they start talking about Rezko.
Yep Media is so on Obama's side.
March 3, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
My post should have said "his integrity"
Like I said, time for a break.
March 3, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I cant wait till hillary holds a press conference apologizing for misleading the american public on this issue.
March 3, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
link to Slate's delegate calculator:
http://www.slate.com/features/delegatecounter/
But note, Slate has turned relatively neo-con, just like the WaPo which owns it, even if John Dickerson does work for them and did ask that kick-ass question on Friday:
what exactly are the foreign policy crisis moments that Sen. Clinton handled?
**crickets**
March 3, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here comes this apology after they realize that Hillary still can't overcome the delegate math.
Math is wonderful. It can't be spun; 2+2=4 no matter what angle you look at it from. You can even change the subject that the media is talking about, but it still won't change the math; 4 is 4, and 1200 is more 1050. The number 1200 can't help it; it just is what it is.
March 3, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!
March 3, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Haha... this is ludicrous! They leak a document with their own spin about a conversation, then claim they didn't intend to inject any "influence" in the campaign. Oh sure..... we gotcha.. eh!!
March 3, 2008 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
im wondering how come cnn doesnt have this statement. they just did an interview with david wilhelm and all they asked him about was the charges hillary brought up without even mentionint this new statement.
March 3, 2008 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
CNN has bee pretty biased in favor of Hillary all year (in my honest opinion). What I am curious about is whether that bias will translate into a pro-McCain anti-Obama bias in the general election if that is the matchup. I wouldn't be supprised if it didn't. I think their bias is partly the way they have staffed alot of their consultants and trusted sources, who often have ties to the previous Clinton administration (which is to be expected whith him as the last Dem Pres). Also, I think the Clinton puts alot more pressure on the news orgs, and often fights alot harder to loby the framing of the issues with them.
We'll see.
March 3, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're wondering? I'd say it's because 1) the MSM rarely takes the time to get anything right, and, 2) they have a self interest in a protracted battle for the nomination: more ad revenue, more eyes glued to the news. But maybe I'm being too cynical.
March 3, 2008 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
This notion of Obama appeasing Canada is just plain silly. But then so is the argument that NAFTA cost more American jobs than Canadian ones. The real job losses went to India and China (Wla Mart and the tele-com companies). Some factories have managed to stay open in Canada because the country has a single payer health care system which allows some companies like GM to stay competitive in the north american market. Health care is the main issue vis a vis American and Canadian manufacturing jobs.
March 3, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Too late Canada, you just cost Obama Ohio and maybe the nomination.
March 3, 2008 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
CTV and the embassy better pray you're wrong, MNPundit. If what you said comes true, they are screwed no matter who gets elected in November. Like I said, we got lots of Predators and that's a pretty long border up there . . . .
March 3, 2008 4:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you could restrain yourself from threatening to kill me, that would be appreciated.
Full disclosure: I'm involved in the Liberal (opposition ) party.
What's clear is this: the Conservative government seems to have decided that they will seek to discredit both Democrat campaigns. Why you ask? The Republicans leant their top strategists in the 2005-2006 Canadian election to the Conservatives...they have developed an interesting pact... It is in their best interest to keep the GOP in power, so anything they can do to keep McCain above the fray they will do.
This isn't about Hillary, it's about Harper. But watch what you say, he just filed to sue the Leader of the Opposition for libel over a pending legal investigation. It's Bush v. 3.0.
March 3, 2008 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just because you're Canadian doesn't mean you don't understand snark, does it?
March 3, 2008 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
GJH, stick around, maybe you can find that 1,300-word memo for us.
Of course you are completely correct that Harper and his Tory cronies were behind this disinformation campaign ever since it kicked off last Thursday night. We need proof, however. We know they are taking payoffs from their greedy corporate sponsors (which is probably what that whole bribery investigation is about, right?), just like the wing-nuts down here. But we need proof that the Tories deliberated manipulated CTV and we need it quick. With names and time chronology.
March 3, 2008 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
err- Tories deliberately manipulated CTV
March 3, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Previous high jinks from Canada:
Meet Bill Clinton's Mistress: Belinda Stronach (Picture of Belinda at web site)
Link: http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/186826.php
March 3, 2008 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Update: More on the Clinton/Stronach story, courtesy of The First Post.
Link: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/?menuID=2&subID=578&p=2
March 3, 2008 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
BOYCOT CANADA THRU SUMMER!
The right wing Canucks are trying to get McCain elected. Believe it.
March 3, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Neither Democratic candidate has solutions on free trade, nor do the Republicans. The most onerous free trade challenge facing America is its relationship with Asia . . .
http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/02/americas-china-quandary.html
There is "balance" in the U.S./ Canada trade relationship. There is none with Mexico and none with China. Confrontation with trading partners is the easy part. The relationships are massively complex and real solutions obscure. Running off in the heat of debate isn't the solution.
March 4, 2008 1:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I find this hard to believe that if this comes out so easily now as Harper is trying to cover his rear end, why wouldn't this idea of the Hillary campaign calling have been said much earlier? I am also sure that Hillary wouldn't have taken center stage with this rebuke if her campaign had done the same thing and it could be so easily checked. I am sure Obama checked if the Clinton campaign was involved before he went and spoke to the issue finally. I think some little consule guy is going to be fired for this after not having done anything wrong and the above statement is pure politcal doublespeak to get Harper off the hook.
March 6, 2008 2:36 AM | Reply | Permalink