American voters need to understand that the whole NAFTA gate thing was a consolidated effort between Clinton, Republicans, and the Canadian Government to derail Barack Obamas Campaign. This kind of "All or Nothing" behavior from the Clintons is going to polarize and destroy the Democratic Party. These self-inflicting wounds by the Dems will make McCain the our next president.
It turns out not only did the canadian government misrepresent the obama campaign, it was the clinton campaign that reached out to the canadian government telling them that this was rhetoric. Ironic, since she immediately condemned him and took advantage of it for the ohio primary. i don't think this story is getting a lot of coverage. . . when i looked this morning, you had to search for it, and it's buried in the article. i personally think an article like this should be on the top 10 list, and I think we can probably get it there. . . if you think hillary's hypocrisy on this deserves more attention.
U.S. / POLITICS | March 7, 2008
Trade Pact Controversy in Democratic Race Reaches Into Canadian Parliament
By IAN AUSTEN
Did the Canadian government commit the ultimate sin of interfering in an election of a foreign ally? The political storm surrounding Nafta makes its way into Canada???s Parliament.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/us/politics/07nafta.html?ex=1205557200&en=e40a54dfee861690&ei=5070&emc=eta1
The Facts About Nafta-Gate
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The AP said that the memo "was widely distributed within the Canadian government" and describes an "introductory" meeting with Canada's consul general in Chicago, Georges Rioux. It was written by Joseph DeMora, a consulate official who also attended. According to The AP, DeMora wrote 1,300 words describing many topics covered, including this about NAFTA:
DeMora memo: [Goolsbee] was frank in saying that the primary campaign has been necessarily domestically focused, particularly in the Midwest, and that much of the rhetoric that may be perceived to be protectionist is more reflective of political maneuvering than policy. . .
On NAFTA, Goolsbee suggested that Obama is less about fundamentally changing the agreement and more in favour of strengthening/clarifying language on labour mobility and environment and trying to establish these as more `core' principles of the agreement. . . Noting anxiety among many U.S. domestic audiences about the U.S. economic outlook, Goolsbee candidly acknowledged the protectionist sentiment that has emerged, particularly in the Midwest, during the primary campaign. He cautioned that this messaging should not be taken out of context and should be viewed as more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans.
The AP also quoted Goolsbee as saying that this portrayal is "a pretty ham-handed description of what I answered" and "completely crazy":
Goolsbee: This thing about "it's more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans," that's this guy's [DeMora's] language. . . . He's not quoting me. . . . I certainly did not use that phrase in any way. . . . In no possible way was I inferring that he [Obama] was going to introduce any policies that you should ignore and he had no intention of enacting.
Goolsbee also said, according to the AP, that the sentence in the memo referring to Obama as favoring strengthening or clarifying NAFTA's terms on labor and environment are true as well as consistent with Obama's position.
The news agency quoted Goolsbee as saying the meeting took place at the invitation of the Canadians, and lasted about 40 minutes including perhaps two to three minutes discussing NAFTA. It quoted Obama spokesman Bill Burton as saying that Goolsbee was not representing the campaign during the visit and was not authorized to share any messages from the campaign.
Nedra Pickler, "Obama Adviser Denies Trade Remarks," The Associated Press. 3 March 2008.
Monday, March 3: The Clinton campaign issues a press release headlined "NAFTA-Gate: False Denials from the Obama Campaign," which lists various statements made by Obama or his campaign staff denying the CTV story or, more broadly, any such contact between anyone from his campaign and Canadian officials. In a conference call with reporters, Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson says that "the Obama campaign conveyed to the people of Ohio one thing about NAFTA, and conveyed another thing to the Canadian government."
Sources: Clinton campaign conference call with reporters, 3 March 2008.
Hillary for President press release, "NAFTA-Gate: False Denials from the Obama Campaign," 3 March 2008.
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