This fabled communication could have been almost anything. If Obama directly called the ambassador and said he didn't mean what he said to Ohioans, that's one thing. If some economic advisor decided on her or his own to call Canada and said something like, “we don't want to opt out of NAFTA but we can't completely rule it out if circumstances in the future warrant it, but you know how campaigns are, haha,” that's a rather different circumstance.

This is the way politics used to operate of course. A poltitician went from audience to audience telling them what they wanted to hear. With the internet, you almost can't do it anymore because the video will show up on YouTube eventually, for example Mayor Nagin's “chocolate city” line or Allen's “macaca”.

This fabled communication could have been almost anything. If Obama directly called the ambassador and said he didn't mean what he said to Ohioans, that's one thing. If some economic advisor decided on her or his own to call Canada and said something like, “we don't want to opt out of NAFTA but we can't completely rule it out if circumstances in the future warrant it, but you know how campaigns are, haha,” that's a rather different circumstance.

This is the way politics used to operate of course. A poltitician went from audience to audience telling them what they wanted to hear. With the internet, you almost can't do it anymore because the video will show up on YouTube eventually, for example Mayor Nagin's “chocolate city” line or Allen's “macaca”.

I don't think you're referring to something I wrote, C.O. I'm familiar with the news story you're talking about, but — unless I'm having a more severe senior moment than usual — I never blogged about it.

I don't think you're referring to something I wrote, C.O. I'm familiar with the news story you're talking about, but — unless I'm having a more severe senior moment than usual — I never blogged about it.

I'm with you there…….and if you watch the youtube clip of him responding to the press on the plane, he only comments that the Canadian embassy has denied the conversation. Call me a Republican troublemaker, but why wouldn't he choose to respond from the perspective of his own organization, instead of only repeating something external and already known?

Further, what's ironic justice here is that if we are to assume both D's only want to tweak environmental and labor standards of NAFTA, the Canadians are hardly the ones to pick on anyway.

I'm with you there…….and if you watch the youtube clip of him responding to the press on the plane, he only comments that the Canadian embassy has denied the conversation. Call me a Republican troublemaker, but why wouldn't he choose to respond from the perspective of his own organization, instead of only repeating something external and already known?

Further, what's ironic justice here is that if we are to assume both D's only want to tweak environmental and labor standards of NAFTA, the Canadians are hardly the ones to pick on anyway.

Regardless of who is phoning whom, Obama opened a can of worms by speaking so strongly about NAFTA, although 'renegotiate' is actually vague enough to give cover to a wide variety of outcomes.

The press and the blogosphere just make it worse, by hyping their own interpretations and protestasations. In this, I fault his supporters as much as his detractors.
Obama is an intelligent man, and since he dove into the minefield, he is more qualfied to find a way out. What's more, I'm sure he can do it better, i.e. while preserving a patina of calm reason
Let's hear him speak, and by now it's imperative that he explain exactly what his position on NAFTA and other trade deals is.
“Renegotiate' is not suffiicient. This is a subject both Obama and Clinton should address in more detail, lots of details.

Oh, I forgot, this is election season. Back to soundbites.

Regardless of who is phoning whom, Obama opened a can of worms by speaking so strongly about NAFTA, although 'renegotiate' is actually vague enough to give cover to a wide variety of outcomes.

The press and the blogosphere just make it worse, by hyping their own interpretations and protestasations. In this, I fault his supporters as much as his detractors.
Obama is an intelligent man, and since he dove into the minefield, he is more qualfied to find a way out. What's more, I'm sure he can do it better, i.e. while preserving a patina of calm reason
Let's hear him speak, and by now it's imperative that he explain exactly what his position on NAFTA and other trade deals is.
“Renegotiate' is not suffiicient. This is a subject both Obama and Clinton should address in more detail, lots of details.

Oh, I forgot, this is election season. Back to soundbites.

I think we're in wait and see mode up here.

I think we're in wait and see mode up here.

His reputation was destroyed by free trade/NAFTA, and his closeness to Reagan and the Bushes. I gather he is probably as radioactive in Canada as “W” is in the US.

I doubt the current Prime Minister wants to go down in flames as well.

I am writing from Toronto, Canada, at the moment…and people up here are PISSED!

This story has dominated the newspapers for the past couple of days. The current conservative government really does not want to re-open NAFTA.

It was a brutal national debate getting it approved in Canada – in the 1988 election, and later with NAFTA – on a scale of the US debate over Iraq. I had friends who were deeply involved in this, and a national election ended up being called on only one issue: free trade. FYI: Canadian politics is defined by anxiety about the American empire…and American lusts for Canadian oil, water and actors.

The NDP were opposed to free trade, and lost. Not surprising, they welcome Obama re-opening it…as it would effectively send Canadian politics into another crazed spiral that could only benefit them as the smallest party in the country.

So this story makes perfect sense, really. The government doesn't want to upset the Dem's…and so are officially denying it. But they are leaking to CTV as a warning…and backing this up with public warnings about shutting off Canadian oil to the US.

“Sources at the highest levels of the Canadian government — who first told CTV that a call was made from the Obama camp — have reconfirmed their position.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said in question period Thursday that Canada should take advantage of any openings to renegotiate NAFTA.

“Why won't the prime minister take the lead here, exercise some sovereignty and bring about some change here that would be good for workers?” he asked.

However, Harper had a warning to anyone contemplating renegotiation of the trade deal.

“If a future president actually did want to open up NAFTA, which I highly doubt, then Canada would obviously have some things we would want to discuss,” Harper said.

But Harper also noted that assertions made in the heat of political campaigns should be taken with a grain of salt. During the federal election in 1993, former prime minister Jean Chretien threatened to back out of NAFTA's precursor — the Free Trade Agreement, which was signed by the Tories in the 1980s. “

That sentence you quoted referred to the FIRST wave of the story — re some UNNAMED senior source — and then talked about the NDP and the Tories confirming their positions re NAFTA, not their positions re the original CBC claims.

* The NDP thinks it's hunky-dory that we renegotiate.
* The Tories think that renegotiations are a double edged sword and that Canada may be looking to improve some elements related to our interests.
* And Harper isn't that worried about any candidate's stance on NAFTA, and thinks that things could change once Obama or anyone else gets into office.

This is hardly a case of senior Canadian officials confirming the original story. Just pretty calm business as usual up here.

You mean they really can't find anything Obama has prevaricated on and have to make something up? Wow.

But, MaryL, if this your idea of backing down by CTV, then we don't comprehend the English language the same way………”Sources at the highest levels of the Canadian government — who first told CTV that a call was made from the Obama camp — have reconfirmed their position.”

And Kathy, can you provide the link to where you provided your taker on the NYT article suggesting McCain had an affair with the lobbyist?