Harper meddling in U.S. primaries, Democrats say

[Clintonista2]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080302.nafta03/CommentStory/National/home

OTTAWA — Two years after U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins was accused of meddling in Canada's federal election, the same is being said of Stephen Harper's Conservatives with respect to the current U.S. contest.

Democrats appearing on a nationwide U.S. political program accused the Harper government yesterday of interfering in the primary campaigns to help the Republican Party candidate in the coming campaign.

“You've got a right-wing government in Canada that is trying to help the Republicans and is out there actively interfering in this campaign,” Bob Shrum told the popular program, Meet the Press. Mr. Shrum is a top-level Democrat adviser who has had key roles in the presidential campaigns of Al Gore and John Kerry.

==SNIP==

Opposition MPs said it appears obvious to them that the Harper Tories want the Republicans to win and that they have taken steps to help them to do so.

The Harper government may find itself in hot water should the presidential winner be a Democrat, they said.

“This is serious,” said Navdeep Baines, the Liberal Party's trade critic.

“If there's a perception there of interference, I think it will definitely put a strain on our relationship in the future.”

[Capn Sunshine]

1. THIS MEANS WAR!!!

bout time we took them Canucks on. They've been comin' down here, stealin' all the good jobs, and our wimmin!

[rurallib]

4. They got oils we can steal, also

good enough reason right there!

[ProSense]

2. Canadians regret...

Canadians regret...

There's lots of grist for Canadian political reporters right now, as the Canadian Embassy issues an apology and a sort of recantation -- though not really a denial -- of the Goolsbee story. This happens even as their superiors in Ottawa seem determined to cause trouble in the Democratic primary.

The Canadian Embassy and our Consulates General regularly contact those involved in all of the Presidential campaigns and, periodically, report on these contacts to interested officials. In the recent report produced by the Consulate General in Chicago, there was no intention to convey, in any way, that Senator Obama and his campaign team were taking a different position in public from views expressed in private, including about NAFTA. We deeply regret any inference that may have been drawn to that effect.

The people of the United States are in the process of choosing a new President and are fortunate to have strong and impressive candidates from both political parties. Canada will not interfere in this electoral process. We look forward, however, to working with the choice of the American people in further building an unparalleled relationship with a close friend and partner.

So they're not disputing the text of the memo, just what it's words intended to convey. Perhaps it's the language barrier, but I'm not sure there's a clear alternative reading.

Anyway, the dread specter of Canadian interference has now been raised.

A side story, as Noam Scheiber writes: "What's shocking is that a foreign government would leak it to the press. That seems like a pretty egregious breach of protocol--more like a dirty trick by an operative in a conservative government than anything else. I can't imagine it'll bode well for U.S.-Canadian relations if Obama makes it to the White House ...."

What does it say that Hillary's campaign is pushing this bogus RW distortion?

[leftofcool]

3. If your candidate lies, blame the Canadians