And then there was Chrétien, who was taking lessons from Chirac. His words weren't verbal acts of war; just extremely stupid, inflammatory and bad for diplomatic relations. They were meant for public consumption on state television, to blind the public to the real state of the Canadian military. In that they succeeded, at least for a time.
You are right cake-crumb...
It is NOT America vs. Canada.
It is liberal vs. conservative, left vs. right.
Liberals love liberals, American and Candian alike.
Conservatives love conservatives, both American and Canadian.