(Canadian) PM's chief of staff was Obama leak

[sabra]

Source: The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — If the prime minister is seeking the first link in the chain of events that has rocked the U.S. presidential race, he need look no further than his chief of staff, Ian Brodie, The Canadian Press has learned.

A candid comment to journalists from CTV News by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s most senior political staffer during the hurly-burly of a budget lock-up provided the initial spark in what the American media are now calling NAFTAgate.

...


The former university professor found himself in a room with CTV employees where he was quickly surrounded by a gaggle of reporters while other journalists were within earshot of other colleagues.

At the end of an extended conversation, Brodie was asked about remarks aimed by the Democratic candidates at Ohio’s anti-NAFTA voters that carried serious economic implications for Canada.

...

“He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton’s campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt ... That someone called us and told us not to worry.”

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place.

...

But others said the content of Brodie’s remarks was passed on to CTV’s Washington bureau and their White House correspondent set out the next day to pursue the story on Clinton’s apparent hypocrisy on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Althought CTV correspondent Tom Clark mentioned Clinton in passing, the focus of his story was on assurances from the Obama camp.

He went to air on Feb. 27 with a report that the Democratic front-runner had given advance notice to Canadian diplomats that he was about to engage in some anti-NAFTA rhetoric, but not to take it too seriously.



Read more: http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2008/03/05/4920601.html

[TwilightGardener]

1. Now how did a story on Clinton become an Obama scandal? Someone clarify.

[sabra]

2. hmm....

:shrug:

[madmom]

5. well jeez, Hillary did it don'tcha know.....

:sarcasm:

[krkaufman]

44. It's actually a reasonable question...

... as the article actually provides a new piece of information. The issue is whether someone in the Canadian government interfered in our election.

[DJ13]

7. Now how did a story on Clinton become an Obama scandal?

You know, now that I think about it when I first heard about this on either CNN or MSNBC (dont remember) the story did say it was reported that BOTH Obama and Clinton's campaign had contacted the Canadian embassy.

My take is that the MSM was desperate to help Hillary remain in the race, so they dropped reporting her campaign was contacting the embassy just to have some dirt to throw at Obama.

[TwilightGardener]

12. I remember that too, but the Clinton camp denied ever meeting with

Canadians, the Obama camp doubted the story but didn't outright deny it--now it's totally ass-backwards--turns out SHE was lying and he was not, but he's already lost Ohio, and the media will let this drop.

[LulaMay]

3. What leak? Was it a private, closed meeting? Like Cheney's Energy Meeting? How quaint.

The Canadians are only putting this forward because it makes them look bad too that they had a behind the doors meeting with him.

It's ridiculous.

The people have a right to know what's going on, especially if a candidate is saying one thing publicly and another privately.

It was a verified memo and AP report for crying out loud.

And Obama was not forthcoming about it (another example of inexperience that gives way to knee jerk response).

[TwilightGardener]

4. What is the Clinton role in this story? What was HER campaign discussing

with the Canadians about NAFTA? Obama's team has clarified that their denial of a meeting was the original meeting alleged in the story that first broke, that got the details totally wrong. They found out that the Canadians were talking about a DIFFERENT meeting that took place in Chicago between a diplomat there and Goulsbee--they were are forthcoming as they could have been.

[LulaMay]

29. Please don't insult my intelligence.

They were talking bout a DIFFERENT meeting? Oh brother.

Nobody has cause to think or report that HRC campaign was implying to the Canadians privately that her NAFTA policy would be different than what she has told the American people.

Nor has HRC campaign hidden or denied making their position known to the Canadians.

[TwilightGardener]

36. Did you read the original story? It was totally factually incorrect about Obama.

The meeting in the original story never happened. The meeting with Goulsbee was a separate matter, initiated by the Canadians. And in the original story, Hillary Clinton's camp denied the allegations, and even offered IMMUNITY for the advisor to step forward and spill, but of course, the story became about Obama. And now we know it's about Hillary's big lie.

[Windy]

8. Well for your candidates sake you damn well better hope so, but that is not what I read!!!

Seems as though it was the CLINTON camp that made the call!!!

[NashVegas]

11. Everyone Is Scrambling to Save Face

It's pretty funny, really.

[badgervan]

21. Looks Like....

... good 'ol Hill was even less forthcoming on her campaign's part in this. And remains so. This could hurt her a LOT if the almighty MSM picks up on it.

[krkaufman]

45. Sure. That'll happen.

Or maybe SNL will do a skit on it.

[Windy]

6. Ok, what the hell went on here????

“He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton’s campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt ... That someone called us and told us not to worry.”

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place.


How did it get from Clinton making the comment to all Obama? And why after the reporter's trip to Washington where he planned to report on Hillary's hypocrisy?

Who bought off who!!! The MSM better report on this!!!!

[TwilightGardener]

10. Something got totally twisted around. There is no evidence of Obama's campaign

saying ANYTHING about NAFTA that didn't jibe with what Obama was saying publicly, but now we see that HILLARY was actually the one doing it, and winking at the Canadians--and yet, the Canadians and Hillary made sure HE took the brunt of the scandal. I am so sick of her Rove politics, and now she's working with a foreign government to slime her opponent?

[Hawkeye-X]

9. That asshole needs to be dismissed summarily

and without employment insurance - whatever it is set up in Canada.

[pbca]

13. He may be dismissed

But this is Canada. Without employment insurance isn't even an option here. He'd probably get a nice severance package on top of unemployment.

It's what I keep saying about NAFTA - our labor laws are already way stronger than the US

[thunder rising]

14. 4K dead GI's and 10Ks wounded and maimed. One more rigged election could spark civil war

And the Canadian government wants to fuck around in this election. Those asshat stupid MFs better keep to their side of the border.

The Canadian government rigging this primary is as dangerous a game as they can imagine. I really don't think they want to open that "Pandora's Box", cause payback is something WE can do. I mean, they fucked with our election, let's rig theirs.

[tyne]

18. This needs to be passed around

far and wide and fast.

The CTV smear was wrong from the start. They reported that someone from the Obama campaign HAD CONTACTED the Canadian embassy blah blah blah. Well? No. It was the Clinton campaign who contacted the embassy and blah blah blah.

The Canadian embassy had contacted Goolsbee and he did not stray from what Obama says on the campaign trail. Period.

I smell Mark Penn whose firm handles both the Clinton AND the McCain campaigns.

[thunder rising]

33. OH you bet. We are in very dangerous territory here. The folks are stressed and broke

[Windy]

15. this should be emailed to Olbermann. What is his addy? n/t

[Window]

16. ..

[Windy]

17. kick

[papau]

19. writer of memo does not agree that memo is a lie - but staff person to PM says "misunderstood"

writer of memo does not agree that memo is a lie - but staff person to PM says "misunderstood"

so now we have the proof that Hillary did it - whatever it is - based on

“Quite a few people heard it,” said one source in the room." - where that source refuses to be named - and all we have is the PM's office - who had no one there and has no memo saying Hillary said anything to refer to - choosing to "not deny" that a staff person from Hillary called some unnamed someone.

so someone says soneone said versus an embassy memo - which has more credibility?

Should this primary post be allowed in LBN?

[TwilightGardener]

20. That's all it took to say that Obama was telling us one thing and the

Canadians something else--someone else's interpretation of events. But that didn't stop the Hillary campaign and our media, and Canadian media, from running with the story, even though it was false.

[sabra]

22. wienerdoggie, do you still want Obama to bow out of the race?

we can take that discussion out of LBN if you choose...

[TwilightGardener]

35. I don't know. I just don't want to see him wrecked with mud and smears

if he's going to lose the superdelegates anyway. I waffle back and forth, but I'm still fightin' for him!

[DJ13]

26. that didn't stop.. our media, and Canadian media, from running with the story, even though it was f

I dont know why the Canadiens were doing this, though I suspect Bill Clinton's Canadien business partner knows the right people, but I do know our MSM went on a non-stop PR campaign to help Hillary stay in the race.

They played up the NAFTA BS to influence Ohio, and also played (over and over and over) the 3AM Clinton ad to help her in Texas.

It was a two pronged attack on Obama, very skillfully managed not by the Clinton campaign, but by our own MSM.

[TwilightGardener]

37. Yes, the media was 100% complicit. They didn't cover Obama at all

in the few days before the election, except to make him look like a corrupt liar.

[krkaufman]

46. Plus endless repeating of the "media is tough on Hillary, easy on Obama" meme ...

... ironically, at the same time.

It would almost be funny, if...

[kristopher]

23. kick

[JBoy]

24. Our current Canadian government disgusts me more with each passing day

Harper is a right-wing toad. Tomorrow should be an interesting day in the House of Commons, with calls for Mr. Brodie's head.

I'm curious how the CTV correspondent Tom Clark got onto Obama, when the initial lead was to Clinton. Tom Clark is normally a pretty straight shooter.

[DJ13]

27. the CTV correspondent Tom Clark got onto Obama, when the initial lead was to Clinton

Bill Clinton has done some business deals with a prominent Canadien businessman recently.

I suspect he would have the neccessary clout with members of your government to get an Obama hit piece placed on CTV as a favor to Bill.

[Catherina]

52. Tom Clark was one of the only 2 Canadian reporters Clinton allowed into Yugoslavia

when NATO launched its aerial war against Serbia in 1999. Embedded reporter according to this link: http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/LF/English/6_1_1.asp?id=1859

He's been carrying their water for years.

[bemildred]

25. LOL. These people are so incompetent. nt

[JBoy]

28. It's not incompetence

There's weird shit going on behind the scenes that led to the reporting that came out. The story behind the story is still developing.

[sabra]

30. unfortunately (or fortunately) the headlines came out right before March 4's voting...

[tyne]

31. You know

damm well that Hillary is somehow behind turning this around on Obama.

[sabra]

32. I don't - but according to this article the angle/spin shifted to Obama

the question is why... I am guessing this story is still developing

[JBoy]

38. Yes, more will come out on this.

It appears that there were conversations or potential conversations between Canadian officials and each campaign and/or between the Canadian media and each campaign.

What's not clear is who initiated those conversations and what was said. I wouldn't fault either campaign for talking if they were approached. If either campaign initiated the conversation, that's important to know. And obviously what was said is also important.

Hopefully the US MSM will follow this. The Canadian media will be all over it. It's the #2 government scandal right now. #1 is whether the Conservative party tried to bribe a dying independent MP with a $1M life insurance policy if he would help bring down the previous Liberal government.

[krkaufman]

48. WTF?!?! That #1 story does seem a tad more important.

(Though intentional mucking w/ our election *would* be impolitic.)

[krkaufman]

47. Well, at a minimum, her campaign did a masterful job of manipulating the media ...

... in the last week or so, which played a part. She/they didn't necessarily conspire -- they didn't have to -- as they pretty much had the media jumping through hoops shortly after the first SNL skit 10 days ago.

[bemildred]

34. Getting caught is incompetent, or that's what I think anyhow. nt

[Amonester]

39. K&R

Although I will not hold my breath until the RW-owned medias will report any of this.

[kentuck]

40. Who from Hillary's campaign ??

"“He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton’s campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt ... That someone called us and told us not to worry.”

[Amonester]

41. Harper's neocon prick (chief of staff, no less...)

will be gone tomorrow morning (with a "nice" retierement plan or just another spot on the harper staff), without saying "who" and the "illegal" story will fade away in the distance... not in Canada, though... The New Democratic Party will score points for the (upcoming soon, let's hope) paper-ballots' elections.

[JanusAscending]

43. I will hazard a guess.......

"Slick Willie" perhaps? Why would Canada believe anyone else from her campaign ??? Unless Rove is up to his old tricks to get her the nomination. THEY WANT TO RUN AGAINST HILLARY!! Catch him sometime on feaux news(if you can stomach it) He's been giving advice on the air as to how she can "bloody" Obama :mad: Why do you think that fat ass on the radio told all the Texan and Ohio Repukes to vote for Hillary? They know they can't beat Obama. Wake up people, we're about to be "snookered" again!

[LulaMay]

42. Please see my response to this below.

[krkaufman]

49. Below where? Yours is the last post. (until... now)

You may wanna post a direct link to your post in question.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

50. What the hell is going on?

If what this article says is true, then we've only just begun to see the backlash from this incident.

[Catherina]

51. Typical Clinton dirty tactics

This is another example of Clinton being the one doing everything she falsely accuses and viciously accuses Obama of doing.

She's doing the same thing with the Texas Caucus. After telling her supporters to try to cheat last week,

The Dallas Morning News gets hold of Clinton caucus "training materials," in which supporters are instructed to fight for procedural control of caucuses.

The materials say in part, "DO NOT allow the supporter of another candidate to serve in leadership roles."

It goes on to say, "If our supporters are outnumbered, ask the Temporary Chair if one of our supporters can serve as the Secretary, in the interest of fairness.

"The control of the sign-in sheets and the announcement of the delegates allotted to each candidate are the critical functions of the Chair and Secretary. This is why it is so important that Hillary supporters hold these positions."


http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/Texas_caucus_hardball.html


And here's Bill doing it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Iiy52jM-Y

today she made this hysterical claim

Among other things, the Clinton campaign is charging that Obama supporters edged out Clinton supporters in the Texas caucuses by arriving early and either locking the doors or taking charge of the packets explaining how the caucuses were to proceed....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4928962

I hope this story isn't allowed to die.