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Friday, February 29, 2008
Obama lies, protectionists cry?
While many observers, including The Economist and US News, have noted inconsistencies with both Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's critiques of NAFTA, it seems like Obama may now have been caught in some direct double-talk. On the stump campaigning for the tightly contested Ohio primary, both Democratic candidates have been attempting to gain points by playing to economic insecurities threatening that they would pull out of NAFTA if not able to renegotiate terms. Here's where it gets interesting: the CTV, relying on "sources at the highest levels of the Canadian government," reports that Austan Goolsbee, Obama's Chief Economic Adviser who has a taste for technocratic policies based on behavioural economics, spoke to the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago "saying that when Senator Obama talks about opting out of the free trade deal, the Canadian government shouldn't worry. The operative said it was just campaign rhetoric not to be taken seriously."
After the Obama camp and the Canadian Embassy in Washington put out denials, CTV continues to insist on the reliability of their sources and named Goolsbee as the unspecified campaign adviser in their original report. It's clear that there has been a lot of posturing on this issue by Obama, and the threats of withdrawal from NAFTA have set off a media flurry in Canada placing on the front page of both national newpapers and soliciting a reaction from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, so it's plausible that if the comments really were only overblown rhetoric and populist pandering that the campaign might reach out to reassure Canadian government officials.
I'll be watching this developing story, already unoriginally dubbed Goolsbee Gate which has been picked up all over the American media in the last couple days. CTV will be under mounting pressure to further corroborate their claims. The story is unlikely to die soon as McCain has now mentioned it and turned it into a campaign issue, telling reporters "I don't think it's appropriate to go to Ohio and tell people one thing while your aide is calling the Canadian Ambassador and telling him something else... I certainly don't think that's straight talk."
Posted by Kalim Kassam on February 29, 2008 in Current Affairs | Permalink
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Is Obama the American Mandela? Obama brings a message of hope and change to a country at the crossroads. It is choice between the past and the future. But is Obama the American Mandela who could inspire Americans to a better future at home? And a future where America takes it rightful place at the global table? Is he the one? The question of whether Obama is the American Mandela is discussed in my blog Angry African on the Loose at http://angryafrican.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/is-obama-the-american-mandela/
Posted by: AngryAfrican | 29-Feb-08 6:33:43 PM
AA,
"Obama brings a message of hope and change to a country at the crossroads."
Crossroads? I hope this is just rhetorical flourish.
"And a future where America takes it rightful place at the global table? "
I wasn't aware she had been dining elsewhere. More rhetorical flourish.
The US will go on tomorrow mostly like it went on yesterday. One day at a time.
Geesh!
Posted by: h2o273kk9 | 29-Feb-08 6:50:41 PM
"Is Obama the American Mandela?"
No, but he might be the American messiah: http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Kalim Kassam | 29-Feb-08 7:00:13 PM
Who's going to ask why CTV intially reported contact being made with Canadian Ambassador Micheal Wilson and have since altered their story to contact being made with Canadian Consulate General in Chicago Georges Rioux? So far, CTV is the only one who's been caught with a glaring inconsistency.
There's a reason why this non-story is going nowhere and it's because mere hearsay means diddly squat in the real world.
Posted by: Arrow | 29-Feb-08 7:02:49 PM
Kalim
"No, but he might be the American messiah:"
I can't help myself. I can only hear the voice of Edward G. Robinson in "the 10 Commandments"
"Where's your Messiah now?"
snicker.
Posted by: h2o273kk9 | 29-Feb-08 7:05:35 PM
Obama is the great white hope. For self-immolation.
Posted by: philanthropist | 29-Feb-08 7:44:59 PM
Heh, well if he gets elected at least the Canadians know up front that they're dealing with a liar.
Posted by: Kevin | 29-Feb-08 9:11:41 PM
Nelson Mandela sings about killing whites
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcOXqFQw2hc
Posted by: DJ | 29-Feb-08 10:04:58 PM
Can we leave this Obama Messiah Mandela crap out of it? It is disturbing to know that Obama said one thing in his "beautiful" speech, then turns out right and lies about it, calling what he says "campaign rhetoric." We need to wake up. How can we trust anything he says when he calls it campaign rhetoric?
I don't know much about Obama's character, but that he has consistently lied and double-talked himself out of trouble. He always has a smooth answer whenever he's been caught at a lie and nobody seems to care. This is disturbing. Are we so fascinated by a media creation that we cannot distinguish from truth and lie? Has this nation fallen so badly that they will grab the first false Messiah that promises the kitchen sink?
I'm out of hope.
Posted by: Joe | 1-Mar-08 7:50:04 AM
Obama is a fraud. Nothing more than a slick marketing campaign. Ugh, please no more empty suits in the White House.
Posted by: hearusroar | 1-Mar-08 2:33:40 PM
"Is Obama the American Mandela?"
I didn't know that Obama spent years in prison subject to deprivation and torture for what he believed in. Oh, wait that's the other contender. Never mind.
Posted by: Don | 2-Mar-08 6:44:48 AM
If Obama = Mandela, that makes Madame Obama = Winnie Mandela Burning tires around your neck, anyone?
Posted by: Angry Eurasian | 2-Mar-08 7:13:42 AM
Liar, aider and comforter and associate of terrorists, Communist whose policies for the economy will take prosperity and turn it into misery... He just might be the American version of Mandela, Mugabe, Chavez, Stalin,...
Posted by: SDN | 2-Mar-08 7:31:13 AM
You might want to check & make sure your story hasn't been de-bunked, before you run it:
http://www.observer.com/2008/goolsbee-denies-canadian-nafta-story
Posted by: frenchie | 2-Mar-08 8:46:22 AM
a future where America takes it rightful place at the global table
We're already there. The "global table" rests on our shoulders.
Posted by: Fen | 2-Mar-08 9:53:23 AM
"You might want to check & make sure your story hasn't been de-bunked"
The link doesn't say what you claim. Its about Obama aide Goolsbee issuing a denial.
Posted by: Fen | 2-Mar-08 9:57:03 AM
Sure, Obama is a liar. Jesus, Canada has the U.S. by the balls on this one. I blogged yesterday with some facts but here are a few. Canada has an agreement with the US to supply a certain amount of water to Niagara falls in order to keep the power generators going; think cutting that down might do something? Canada has the world's highest quality oil and you could ship anywhere in the world other than the U.S. should you choose. I don't know how much lumber you sell to us but you could certainly cripple housing if you want. I think we also use some of your beef, but I'm not sure. The point of all this is that Obama is talking out of his a** without a clue as to the international damage he might do. Should the US clobber Mexico I would assume that the rest of Latin America would really kill us; no orange juice, soy products, fertilizers, and in a few cases automobiles. The world has Obama by the balls but he's too much of an ideologue to know it. Oh, and the U.S. no longer controls the Panama Canal, but maybe Obama's wife might know that.
Posted by: Howard Veit | 2-Mar-08 11:31:29 AM
Hmmmm.
The American Mandela?
No offense but South Africa isn't something I'd like to emulate.
Posted by: memomachine | 2-Mar-08 11:40:13 AM
"American Mugabe" also has a nice ring to it.
Then you'd really see some AngryAfricans.
Posted by: comatus | 2-Mar-08 8:46:33 PM
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