Bush snubs Chretien in Asia, U.S. officials shrugged off a Canadian request for meeting.

TheStar ^ | 10/19/03 | TheStar

[Pikamax]

Bush snubs Chretien in Asia Chilly relationship continues at APEC summit

BANGKOK - He scratched at the door, but White House officials weren't letting Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in today. The prime minister has requested a formal one-on-one meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush during the two-day APEC summit here this week - but the demand so far has met with nothing more than silence.

Chrétien and Bush were expected to bump into each other several times during the summit of 21 world leaders, but U.S. officials shrugged off a Canadian request for a formal bilateral meeting between the men, who have never had a close personal relationship.

"We told them that if we can, we should sit down," said a senior Canadian official, who requested anonymity. "If not, we'll meet in pull-asides (informal meetings)."

Bush has already met with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Thailand's king and queen in the run-up to the summit that begins Monday.

Even so, the Canadian official didn't voice any disappointment about the U.S. response.

"According to the White House interpretation of Mr. Bush's visit, he doesn't have any bilaterals planned, per se. He has one or two meetings specifically about Korea," he said.

Bush has yet to visit Canada in the almost three years since he was sworn in as president.

His relationship with Chrétien, never warm to begin with, soured further when the prime minister refused to send Canadian troops to Iraq earlier this year to support the U.S.-led invasion.

Chrétien didn't help redeem himself in the president's good books when he later poked fun at Bush's handling of the economy in a candid exchange with a pack of reporters.

Chrétien's relationship with the Republican president is in stark contrast to that of his predecessor, former Democratic president Bill Clinton, a frequent golf buddy and ideological sibling of Chrétien.

The prime minister did meet Sunday with China's president, and tried peddling more Canadian nuclear reactors on top of the two already sold to China.

Chrétien was also scheduled to meet Monday with the leaders of Peru, Thailand, Australia and Russia.

[Old Sarge]

YES!!!

[Loyalist]

Chretien is retiring in four months anyway. Why would Bush waste his time meeting with this hosebag?

[Zack Nguyen]

I agree - what's the point? The man despises the President and are War.

[TheyConvictedOglethorpe]

Chrétien and Bush were expected to bump into each other several times during the summit of 21 world leaders...

You gotta keep your feet in
from the hoppin' Chrétiens.

[Libertina]

Thank you Loyalist!
Thanks for that reminder, good point. BTW, loved your home page :)

[GeronL]

Let him eat cake

Apparently the Progressive Consercative Party and the Canadian Alliance have merged to form the Conservative Party of Canada, giving them their best chance to win a majority in a while.

[Ronin]

Bush should send the cretin a note saying he will be happy to meet, as long as the cretin wears lavendar leotards, wears a pink tutu and sings "I'm a Little Teapot" while Bush bounces ping-pong balls off his head.

Or do you think that would be too demeaning... for Bush?

[Allan]

Bush should send the cretin a note saying he will be happy to meet
as long as the cretin wears lavendar leotards, wears a pink tutu and sings "I'm a Little Teapot"
while Bush bounces ping-pong balls off his head.

Put a little cash in the envelope to help Chretien out with his real-estate deals and he'll do it gratefully.

I suggest the performance takes place while Chretien is on one of his evening outings
wandering through the parks to talk to the homeless.

[longtermmemmory]

Chretien is legacy building (ala Clinton). This would have been a photop to avoid having the last image not be homosexual marriages, decaying health care, out of control social spending, and a defenseless nation.

An LA street gang is better armed than the canadian army. (if they even still have one.)

[Cicero]

The prime minister did meet Sunday with China's president, and tried peddling more Canadian nuclear reactors on top of the two already sold to China.

Following in the footsteps of Chirac.

[Last Dakotan]

Bush has yet to visit Canada in the almost three years since he was sworn in as president.

I was just there, tell him nothing is new. No real reason to visit.

If you want to visit socialists in a frozen land, go to Scandinavia. They have better buffets.

[mtbopfuyn]

snicker, snicker

[pointsal]

We'd be better off sending troops to Quebec and Vancouver

[Dr. Luv]

Is this a reason to rejoice? Canada is our largest trading partner - we need to put the petty BS aside and get to work...

[Mr. Blond]

Bush has yet to visit Canada in the almost three years since he was sworn in as president.

If I'm not mistaken, Bush attended an economic summit in Quebec City 3 years ago. I was living there at the time, on the parade route of all those Black Bloc, Che wannabes, and all of downtown was in a fog of tear gas.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Bush to Cretin:

[Mr. Blond]

Also pretty sure he went to a G8 meeting in the Alberta mountains, such a big deal was made of the security preparations, and Bush's drinking of O'Doule's. Who is this jackass "journalist"?

[Consort]

Chretien is retiring in four months...

Canard boiteux.

[Don W]

While Cretin (misspelling intended) is the purported "leader" of Canada, I am ecstatic, thrilled, and otherwise happy about the President "showing the creep where dinner hangs".

The Liberal party of Canada has turned my nation from a world leader into the laughingstock of the Northern Hemisphere.

Message ends.