No June visit to Washington for Harper

[CHIMO]

Bush is too busy for his new best friend

There are things even the most authoritarian prime minister can't control. One of them is the president of the United States.

Suddenly, it's inconvenient for Stephen Harper to make what was to have been a short but triumphant spring visit to Washington. It now seems George W. Bush is a little too busy for his new best friend from the North.

That's not a snub and it doesn't suggest a new Conservative prime minister could be doing more for a defining relationship. After all, in the past few weeks Harper's government reached across the border by extending this country's commitment to Afghanistan until 2009 and negotiating a softwood lumber deal that may finally end a decades-old dispute.

Prime ministers are powerful. They just aren't omnipotent.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1148077814492&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467

Well it's not like it is Bush's sole friend.

[daleo]

1. Internal polling must be showing he is in danger of being seen as a poodle

Which of course he is.

[Bragi]

4. My thoughts too

It looks to me like the Conservative Party just completed some serious long-term public opinion research, and the probes showed them that the one thing that could cause them real trouble is if Harper is perceived as having too cosy a personal relationship with Bush (particularly if there is no perceived commensurate gain for Canada.)

Just a wild guess...

- B

[achtung_circus]

2. Poor baby.

Let's see, Canada caves on softwood lumber and extends Afghanistan, now fuck off Steven, until George wants something.

[Spazito]

3. ROFL! For all his bootlicking, Harper didn't make poodle-in-chief!

Blair is still tops in bush's heart, he will be visiting bush next week while Harper can only stand by and wait for his beloved to call, awwwwwwwww.

:rofl: