The Canadian kerfuffle over Sen. Barack Obama’s recent turn toward protectionism just got a little jucier:
On Wednesday, CTV reported that a senior member of camp Obama had called the Canadian embassy, saying that Obama’s talk about opting out of NAFTA was just campaign rhetoric not to be taken seriously.
The Obama campaign flatly denied the report. A spokesman for the Canadian Embassy denied the story, but was a bit equivocal as to whether the Consul in Chicago had spoken to the Obama campaign.
But Ed Morrissey notes that CTV has pushed back, naming Obama senior advisor Austan Goolsbee as having talked to the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago. And at the moment, everyone has stopped commenting.
Coincidentally enough, Goolsbee was featured in a post right here at PW on Wednesday, noting that he is widely respected:
However, if Goolsbee has Obama’s ear on trade, the candidate has not given much indication of it. He issued a statement supportive of the agreement with Peru, but skipped the vote. He told the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition that he opposes not only the South Korea trade agreement, but also the Colombia and Panama accords. Obama is telling suffering Americans that globalization is to blame for their plight.
As Drudge would say: Developing…
So we’s not gonna get our drugs from Canada? I can’t keep up.
Jake Tapper has interviewed the Army captain Obama mentioned last week, and he has assured Jake that Obama’s Canada story is plausible.
Please don’t invoke the name “Drudge”… I’m pissed at him about Prince Harry and Afghanistan.
Oh, and is this what John Kerry meant by “passing the international test”?
Because the Smoot-Hawley tariff did so much good for the American economy.
Don’t be mad, Major John. The Times of London editor said on NPR that “Harry thoroughly enjoyed it.” Had a marvelous time, he did.
hf, you would have had a grand time if you had Coalition attack jets on call too! #$%& Drudge.
[…] That George W. is roundly condemned for alienating other countries (no matter that France & Germany both elected strongly pro-American governments recently), while Democratic front-runner Barack Obama is campaigning on breaking treaties with America’s two biggest trading partners. […]
YES WE CAN!!!
Rise of the Panderbot!
MJ: These days Kerry’s international test involves figuring out which wines go with his goose liver pate.
So we either have Barry O pandering to unilaterally break an international agreement, and we all know how evil unilateral actions are, or he is lying to the voters.
JD: Or both.
[…] is another variation on this morning’s story about Obama on trade. Obama will say whatever he thinks he needs to say at the moment to advance his campaign, which […]
I do believe Mr. Obama’s pants are on fire.
I hope Prof. Goolsbee is happy that he’s signed on as an advisor to the American Economic Flat-Earth Society (aka the Democrats – although the Republicans don’t have much to be snug about recently).
“smug” about, that should read. Damn, I wish we had preview here.
Anyone notice a remarkable absence from this thread about O’bama?
This post interferes with the hopeychangeyness narrative that is the Obamessiah. Therefore, it is to be ignored.
Karl, I don’t have an e-mail address for you, but I did come up with a “Developing” graphic along the lines of what was discussed back when.
Good point, Rob. It can’t be comfortable.
I’m glad this broke. It’s certainly the thought I had when Karl brought up Goolsbee before and reinforced when I went looking for info on Obama’s other advisors.
On the other hand, GEN McPeak inspires absolutely ZERO confidence in me. Cut from similar but less spotlight seeking cloth as GEN Weasley Clark.
Oh. Can you maybe do something in the Pub on him? I have no idea. I just saw him the first time today.
RTO,
I have just sent you an e-mail.
Karl,
I have just sent you one back. :0 This is fun!
Feets, you asked and you have received–in the Pub.
you rock – thank you
In that Obama has said that NAFTA cannot and should not be repealed; the premise of this story is not correct. There appears to be no contradiction between what Obama has continually said and what was said to Canada. (that protections for American jobs and workers must be weighed against but will not supercede the imperatives of NAFTA). Having said that, one must wonder why, an outside government would decided to enter our electoral frey and try to influence voter opinion or perception by saying anything. It smacks of Canadians perhaps trying to discredit Obama to augment a chance for Hillary?
[…] reports that Barack Obama’s senior economic policy adviser, Austan Goolsbee, has broken his silence to claim that Canadian government officials wrote an inaccurate portrayal of his private discussion […]