"C'mon, you gotta eat this crap up! Look, I'm trying it, it's good!"
Posted on 05/29/2003 7:03:39 PM PDT by Mihalis
PM defends anti-Bush remarks Why so sensitive? 'loyal ally' Chrétien asks
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien fired back at the White House yesterday after it disputed his denunciation of the economic management of U.S. President George W. Bush, saying the Republican administration should not be so sensitive to constructive criticism from a loyal ally.
Mr. Chrétien said he wasn't worried about a Bush backlash over his critique even though Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, took strong exception yesterday to Mr. Chrétien's disapproval of the rising U.S. deficit and its effect on the troubled global economy.
Mr. Fleischer said the president had to run up a $500-billion U.S. deficit to combat the threat of terrorism to the American homeland and to pay for the U.S.-led war against Iraq, although he did not mention the $350 billion U.S. of major tax cuts that have contributed to the deficit.
"The United States was attacked on Sept. 11. Canada was not. The United States helped lead a war to bring freedom to the people of Iraq," Mr. Fleischer told reporters in Washington as he also acknowledged that there are philosophical differences between Mr. Bush and Mr. Chrétien.
Mr. Fleischer said another major reason for the drop in revenues to the U.S. treasury has been the recession that hit the American economy and which has not yet affected Canada.
Mr. Chrétien refused to back down when he was asked at a news conference in Athens to respond to the White House, saying he has every right to pass judgment on Mr. Bush's stewardship on the eve of the G8 summit in Evian, France where the global economy will be the top priority.
"The problem of the finances of the western world is a very complicated problem," he said. "We need a stable economic situation. It is normal when you are going to have a summit debate on the economic situation that you comment on that. So I don't see any problem with that."
Mr. Chrétien said he can't understand why the White House would be upset with him since the Bush administration is always hectoring Canada about its low defence spending and he has not let it bother him.
"We can comment on each other. You know sometimes they make comments about the level of defence in Canada. How many times have we heard that?
"I don't take it personally. They would like us to spend more money on defence. It is not six months or six weeks where we don't hear about it. Fine. We don't agree on it."
Mr. Chrétien also reminded the Americans that Canada has also contributed to the war against terrorism, increased the defence budget, sent troops to Afghanistan, naval ships to the Persian Gulf and boosted border security. "They were attacked. We are part of their coalition against terrorism. We also had to spend more on defence because of that situation because of the war against terrorism," he said.
In Ottawa, several Liberal MPs were aghast by the timing of Mr. Chrétien's remarks.
Stan Keyes, chairman of the Liberal national caucus, acknowledged that Mr. Chrétien was simply telling the truth about the state of the U.S. economy and the ideological differences between him and Mr. Bush. But he said the timing of his remarks, coming just before the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the Iraq war, was "awkward."
"If I were an American, sure, it's a poke in the eye," Mr. Keyes told reporters.
Mr. Keyes said timing was particularly bad given that the government has been working to repair the relationship with the U.S., which was sorely strained by Canada's refusal to participate in the American-led invasion of Iraq.
"If you're trying to work with the Americans on softwood lumber, if you're trying to work with the Americans on the steel issue, if you're trying to work with the Americans on your new marijuana law, why bring in an irritant against the Americans?"
Ontario MP Dan McTeague called the remarks "ill advised and wrong."
"I think they should be withdrawn and an opportunity given to perhaps correct the record because I think the effect is just to add more gasoline to the fire. We don't need that at a time when members of Parliament are working very hard (to repair relations)," he told reporters.
Winnipeg MP John Harvard agreed with Mr. Chrétien but still questioned the timing.
"He's right but I wish he hadn't said it. It just gives those who want to harp on those issues more ammunition."
Tory leader Joe Clark had his own reaction, calling the prime minister's remarks "dumb."
The prime minister, attending his last G8 meeting, is to lead off the economic discussions next week and he is urging world leaders to kickstart the global economy. He intends to lay out Canada's recipe for the economy as the model for the world.
Canada is enjoying surpluses, low interest rates, strong job creation and an economy that will grow at 2.5 per cent this year. He opposes Mr. Bush's massive tax cuts and military spending that have pushed the U.S. into a huge deficit when the global economy is weak.
Mr. Chrétien surprised journalists on the trip over to Europe when he disparaged Mr. Bush for his handling of the U.S. economy and for "right-wing" policies on gun control, capital punishment and abortion.
Aides to the prime minister were delighted with the front-page coverage given Mr. Chrétien's assessment of Mr. Bush, saying that in his final months in office, he wants to stake out an independent role for Canada in relation to the United States.
One official said Mr. Chrétien believes his remarks play well with young Canadians who fear U.S. domination and the threat it could pose to Canadian sovereignty.
Before Mr. Fleischer made his comments, the prime minister had called on the international community to stop berating the United States for its invasion of Iraq and concentrate on rebuilding Iraq with a central role for the United Nations.
He said every effort must now be devoted to post-war Iraq and appealed to world leaders to regroup around the United Nations. "The problem of Iraq is in the past. There was the resolution at the United Nations this week where all the nations have decided to work together on the reconstruction of Iraq and it is very, very important," he told reporters.
While Mr. Chrétien sought to bring unity over Iraq before next week's G8 summit, European leaders supported his criticism of the $500-billion U.S. deficit that poses challenges to the slow growth in the global economy.
The prime minister's attack on Mr. Bush is likely to strain relations with Mr. Bush even further. Mr. Bush, infuriated by Canada's decision to sit out the war and the prime minister's refusal to punish Liberal MPs over anti-American remarks, cancelled a May 5 visit to Canada.
U.S. officials say Mr. Bush may still visit Canada before Mr. Chrétien retires in February, but that he will do it after Paul Martin's expected victory in the Liberal leadership on Nov. 15.
U.S. officials consider Mr. Martin to be a pragmatist who understands the importance of maintaining good personal relations with the president even if Canada may pursue contrary foreign policy objectives.
Editorial: Wrong place, wrong time to rip Bush, page A16
© Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen
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"C'mon, you gotta eat this crap up! Look, I'm trying it, it's good!"
"She's bringing me two beers this time. Right on!!!!"
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien's 34-year-old son, Michel Chretien, was acquitted on three counts of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman(AFP/File/Teresa Barbieri)
FMCDH
Naturally, this was a greatly appreciated comment which entertained me in a high manner. However, I get this impression that whenever Chretien gets away from OH! Canada, he can play like a titilated school child. Maybe they ought to sew a hockey puck into his crooked mouth just before he leaves
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