Um, Peter...?
All right, a busy governor of an immense state with a population itself equalling that of the country next door, unaware of the little details that make up the difference between a credible statement and a stupid error. Cut him a little slack, we don't mind.
He was a body builder, a grade B actor, not a politician. Except that, as a politician he didn't do too badly at all. Particularly for a Republican married to a Democrat, and marrying the values of both as an accommodating non-partisan.
He appears to be an amiable chap, and all he wanted to do was to offer a little thanks and flattery. And what do we do?
Wince, when the guy says he has the greatest admiration and regard for the brave Canadian soldiers who proved their allegiance to their neighbours by joining them in the U.S. "coalition of the willing", in attacking Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein.
All right, we didn't.
We chose not to join that coalition led by our American neighbours. Mostly because the United Nations did not give its imprimatur to that initiative to remove yet another Middle East monster from power, and the United States and its coalition went in unauthorized, as it were.
We did, though, join the United States and NATO in a UN-authorized and supported mission to remove the Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.
So, that's that. No hard feelings, old chap. We do like you, after all, lest there be any residual doubt. We all make mistakes.
But we cannot find it in our hearts and in our hard little heads to be quite so generous when one of our own makes a whopper. Because, frankly, it is rather unforgivable. Surprising in the simplicity of the oversight, in fact.
And it's not the first time that someone in government has made such an amazing blooper of a geographic error.
Come on, Defence Minister Peter MacKay...! How could you have? Here we thought you were so bright...? Got lots on your mind, is that the problem? Spoke before you thought? Don't we all? But this was such a geographically-ignorant, really stupid thing to say.
From the East Coast of Canada but don't have any inkling about the West Coast? Peter, please...!
Now, repeat after us...Washington State is next to Canada, not California. California, young man, borders Mexico.
Repeat, California does not border Canada. Got it?
He was a body builder, a grade B actor, not a politician. Except that, as a politician he didn't do too badly at all. Particularly for a Republican married to a Democrat, and marrying the values of both as an accommodating non-partisan.
He appears to be an amiable chap, and all he wanted to do was to offer a little thanks and flattery. And what do we do?
Wince, when the guy says he has the greatest admiration and regard for the brave Canadian soldiers who proved their allegiance to their neighbours by joining them in the U.S. "coalition of the willing", in attacking Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein.
All right, we didn't.
We chose not to join that coalition led by our American neighbours. Mostly because the United Nations did not give its imprimatur to that initiative to remove yet another Middle East monster from power, and the United States and its coalition went in unauthorized, as it were.
We did, though, join the United States and NATO in a UN-authorized and supported mission to remove the Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.
So, that's that. No hard feelings, old chap. We do like you, after all, lest there be any residual doubt. We all make mistakes.
But we cannot find it in our hearts and in our hard little heads to be quite so generous when one of our own makes a whopper. Because, frankly, it is rather unforgivable. Surprising in the simplicity of the oversight, in fact.
And it's not the first time that someone in government has made such an amazing blooper of a geographic error.
Come on, Defence Minister Peter MacKay...! How could you have? Here we thought you were so bright...? Got lots on your mind, is that the problem? Spoke before you thought? Don't we all? But this was such a geographically-ignorant, really stupid thing to say.
From the East Coast of Canada but don't have any inkling about the West Coast? Peter, please...!
Now, repeat after us...Washington State is next to Canada, not California. California, young man, borders Mexico.
Repeat, California does not border Canada. Got it?
Labels: Canada/US Relations
posted by Pieface | 7:48 PM
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