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Paul Cellucci was not a nuisance. That’s what H. L. Mencken
wrote on the passing of 
another Republican governor of Massachusetts — Calvin Coolidge — and can there be any higher praise for a politician, especially one of the Bay State variety? OK, he wasn’t perfect — Jane Swift and Margaret Marshall come immediately to mind. But he really 
always did try to do the right thing, and when he departed 
office in 2001, the state was in immeasurably better shape than when he and Bill Weld took over in the wreckage of the Dukakis disaster known as the Massachusetts miracle....

As early as January of 2005, high-ranking officials were discussing the best way to sell the idea of North American “integration” to the public and policymakers while getting around national constitutions. The prospect of creating a monetary unit to replace national currencies was a hot topic as well. Some details of the schemes were exposed in a secret 2005 U.S. embassy cable from Ottawa signed by then-Ambassador Paul Cellucci. The document was released by WikiLeaks on April 28. But so far, it has barely attracted any attention in the United States, Canada, or Mexico beyond a few mentions in some...

Paul Cellucci, the former Massachusetts governor and U.S. ambassador to Canada, announced today he has a relatively slowly progressing case of Lou Gehrig’s disease. "I’ve had symptoms for four years," the 62-year-old Cellucci said in a statement to The Associated Press. Despite some weakness, he said, "I am feeling quite well." Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks the brain and spine and usually is detected after muscle weakness. It progresses to complete paralysis, is incurable and is always fatal. Each year the disease, nicknamed for the New York Yankees player who died of it, kills about 5,000 Americans.

First of all, the timing is off. What's the point of unveiling the portrait of ex-Gov. Jane Swift on Oct. 24? Once you get that close to Halloween, don't you owe it to the taxpayers to make the ceremony the ultimate trick or treat? All the women who show up at the Senate Reading Room (now there's an oxymoron) could be wearing that blue dress suit that Swifties always seemed to wear, whether she was in a firing mood, or being fired, basically, by Mitt Romney. Speaking of which, Mitt will attend the festive event. It was earlier thought that...

OTTAWA -- The United States will decide when to fire missiles over Canadian airspace whether Canada likes it or not, says America's ambassador. The blunt warning from Paul Cellucci came minutes after Prime Minister Paul Martin announced yesterday that he will not sign on to the controversial U.S. missile defence program. "We will deploy. We will defend North America," Cellucci said. "We simply cannot understand why Canada would, in effect, give up its sovereignty -- its seat at the table -- to decide what to do about a missile that might be coming toward Canada." The warning was no slip...

U.S. Envoy Applauds Canada for Terror Aid By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: March 25, 2004 NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci said Thursday that the United States greatly values Canadian help in securing the northern border against terrorism. ``We must be on guard,'' the ambassador about 60 members of the Canadian Society of New York. ``We cannot protect our homeland without Canada's help.'' He said the traditional warm ties between the two nations -- strained by Canada's refusal to back the war in Iraq -- have returned to ``excellent shape.'' Cellucci's assessment comes amid pledges by...

The federal government announced Tuesday the deployment of police, prison guards and legal experts to help rebuild the criminal-justice system in postwar Iraq. The Canadian offer includes an expanded role for three Hercules aircraft already operating in the region and “select units” of the military’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), should they be required. “Canada is responding to U.S. requests for assistance in this post-conflict period and is assessing additional contributions to Iraq’s reconstruction,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. Canada has committed about $106-million to humanitarian efforts in Iraq. More than $60-million has been disbursed through the...

TORONTO (AP)--Canada offered police, legal experts, engineers and transport planes Tuesday to help in the reconstruction of Iraq, signaling the end of a rift with the United States over the war. Prime Minister Jean Chretien said three C-130 Hercules aircraft in the Gulf region would expand their role and that Canada could send ``police, corrections and legal officers'' as well as units of Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team. He said the offer responds to U.S. requests for assistance, and that further contributions could be made. ``There are engineers that will be available to help restore water and electricity,'' Chretien said...

OTTAWA and WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has agreed to exempt Canadian citizens from homeland security measures that will require visitors to register with American border officials when entering and leaving the United States, senior U.S. officials say. Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, said yesterday Washington is nearing a deal with the Chrétien government that would waive a requirement for Canadians to be part of the plan to track the entry and exit of all visitors to the United States. Tom Ridge, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and John Manley, the Deputy Prime Minister, are putting the...

President Bush has decided to postpone a trip to Canada next month because of the Iraq war, U.S. and Canadian officials said Sunday. News of the postponement came about two weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien canceled a trip to Washington following criticism from the U.S. ambassador to Canada. The ambassador, Paul Cellucci, said the American government was upset and disappointed that Canada failed to join the U.S.-led military coalition fighting in Iraq. Bush's one-day trip to Ottawa, tentatively scheduled for May 5, was meant as a forum for cross-border issues. Two White House officials said Bush would push...

Support for Chrétien's war policy sags By SHAWN McCARTHY From Saturday's Globe and Mail Ottawa — Support for Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's handling of the Iraq war plunged in the past week, with opinion split virtually evenly outside Quebec, where antiwar sentiment is strongest, a new Globe and Mail/CTV poll suggests. The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Reid, found Canadians deeply divided along regional and gender lines over the government's decision not to participate in the war in Iraq. Nearly half of the respondents said Canada should now join the military effort. The poll found Mr. Chrétien had the support of 56...

Canada noticeably absent from the list of U.S. allies thanked George W. Bush delivered a speech yesterday at the U.S. military's central command headquarters in Florida. There was little unusual about it, except perhaps for the clear emotion Mr. Bush showed when he came to that point, as he has done repeatedly in the week since the war in Iraq began, to give thanks for America's allies. The British came first, of course — their ground forces, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy. Then came Australia, for her navy gunfire support and fighter aircraft. The President went on, thanking the Polish...

Canadians Discuss Ousting U.S. Ambassador Friday, March 28, 2003 The fallout from the U.S. ambassador to Canada’s remarks Tuesday that Americans are disappointed by Canada's decision not to support the U.S. effort in Iraq continued Thursday with Liberal members of parliament debating behind closed doors whether to censure or expel the American diplomat, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Company. MP Jim Karygiannis said Ambassador Paul Cellucci had no business commenting on Canadian policies. "We're the ones that speak on behalf of our electorate. Cellucci doesn't get elected in our constituencies. He doesn't get elected in Canada," Karygiannis...

Hey, wait a minute: That wasn't in the script. The script for American ambassadors is very clear. No matter what the government of Canada does, no matter how unco-operative it is in international councils, no matter how little it contributes to the common defence, no matter how many gratuitous insults it heaps upon Americans and America's head of state, the U.S. ambassador is required to nod indulgently, smile with forbearance, and repeat his lines as written: Canada and the United States are the best of friends, largest two-way trading relationship in the world, we are grateful for Canada's invaluable contribution,...

Editorial: Canada is helping our American ally Few Canadians expected bouquets from U.S. President George Bush when we chose not to be part of his attack on Iraq. So it's no great surprise that U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci turned up in Toronto yesterday to let us know that "many in the United States are so disappointed and upset that Canada is not fully supporting us now." Fair enough. Friends can disagree sometimes. But Cellucci didn't stop there. He cautioned Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to slap down "inappropriate" (i.e. anti-American) sentiment in government. He urged Canada's media to self-censor coverage to...

In Washington, it is open season on Canada. We are going to feel the consequences, in everything from the possible cancellation of a state visit to new restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border. We're in trouble. Paul Cellucci, U.S. ambassador to Canada, laid out yesterday the extreme displeasure with which the U.S. government has viewed Canada's decision to oppose the United States, Britain and Australia in their campaign to oust Saddam Hussein. And he warned that there would be "short-term strains" in consequence. One of the first consequences might be the cancellation of President George W. Bush's state visit, planned for...

U.S. criticism intensifies debate over Canada's refusal to join Iraq war By TOM COHEN The Associated Press 3/25/03 5:17 PM TORONTO (AP) -- Canada is letting down its best friend and economic mainstay by opposing the war on Iraq, causing possible repercussions in Washington, the U.S. ambassador said Tuesday. Paul Cellucci's comments intensified a national debate over the refusal by Prime Minister Jean Chretien's government to support the coalition fighting to topple Saddam Hussein. Opinion polls show a majority of Canadians support their government's stance against the war. But critics from parliament foes to hockey heroes have called the policy...

In Toronto to speak to the Economic Club yesterday, U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci was uncommonly blunt. "A lot of people in Washington are disappointed and upset" at Canada's refusal to lend support to the war in Iraq. Many are wondering why "Canada is not there for us now," he went on, expressing his irritation with the anti-American comments of Liberal ministers and Members of Parliament. Premier Ralph Klein of Alberta offers support for the United States and the federal government "comes down hard on him. When [Minister Herb] Dhaliwal makes totally inappropriate remarks about the President of the United States,"...