Posted on 11/22/2002 1:40:44 PM PST by moyden
Yeah, I know this has been posted, but you haven't see her pic ...
Françoise Ducros, the federal official who caused a firestorm by reportedly calling U.S. President George W. Bush a "moron" offered to quit on Friday, but Prime Minister Jean Chrétien refused to accept her resignation.
"So as not to have this matter overshadow the Prime Minister's important work here at the summit, I have offered my resignation," Ms. Ducros said in a statement, read aloud in the House of Commons Friday by Transport Minister David Collenette.
She added that "the Prime Minister has refused to accept the resignation."
Speaking with reporters in Prague, Mr. Chrétien said he was satisfied.
"She has apologized to me for the blunder," he said, adding it was a shame that in modern times a private conversation isn't that private anymore.
According to reports, Ms. Ducros made the statements during what she thought was a private conversation.
Ms. Ducros said the comments attributed to her "in no way reflect my personal view of the President of the United States," but she in turn apologized for the attention they had attracted.
Members of the Canadian Alliance, who had called on the Liberals to fire Ms. Ducros earlier this week when reports of the incident came out, were not satisfied with the statement.
"That's a finely crafted non-denial coming from the communications department," Alliance MP Jason Kenney said during Question Period.
The Alliance has been accusing the Liberals of harbouring anti-American sentiments that have caused bilateral relations with the country's major trading partner to erode. Canada and the United States have been on shaky ground lately over several issues, including visa requirements at the border and U.S. softwood lumber tariffs.
Mr. Kenney said that Ms. Ducros's statements suggest an "anti-American sentiment" that is present in the Liberal party as a whole.
Transport Minister David Collenette said the Canadian Alliance was focusing on an irrelevant issue instead of the achievements of the summit.
Some Liberal MPs, however, have said publicly that the statement was unacceptable. They included Industry Minister Allan Rock and Liberal leadership front-runner Paul Martin, who praised Canada's special ties with the United States. On Thursday, Mr. Rock called for an investigation into the comment.
Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark called the Prime Minister's inaction on the comments a double standard.
"That's internal. The more serious issue here is ... we don't have a more important or difficult relationship in the world than our relationship with the United States," Mr. Clark said after Question Period.
He urged the Prime Minister to reconsider.
"She has done the honourable things. So should the Prime Minister."
Mr. Collenette, who was in the House of Commons answering questions on the issue for the government, stressed that the issue had already been addressed Thursday in Prague by Mr. Chrétien.
At the time, he said that Mr. Bush is not a moron but a friend of his.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, who was attending meetings Friday with U.S. officials in Prague, said that "the blunder will not hurt Canada-U.S. relations."
U.S. officials, meanwhile, have made light of the remark.
"I just dismiss it as from somebody who obviously doesn't speak for the Canadian government," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, accompanying the President, told reporters in Prague before Mr. Bush left for Moscow.
The incident happened during NATO meetings on Wednesday in Prague.
The National Post newspaper reported that a senior official criticized Mr. Bush for using the meetings to try to drum up support for military action on Iraq rather than discuss new NATO initiatives and called him a "moron."
The speaker was later identified as Ms. Ducros. With a report from AP
I wish we could package the frogs with the left coast, the east coast, take Western Canada and trade it all off.
The socialists could enjoy their Socialist Workers paradise, and we could live in freedom.
HA! Oh, that's good!! I hope you know-I plan to steal that one from you!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.