Dr. Rice's Visit.

You would think the current american administration would seek to please as many of its 'friends' as it could. It has somehow managed to squander all the post Sept. 11th goodwill and become one of the most vilified regimes in the world. Of course thats all relative, really, because lets face it we are not talking about someone like Robert Mugabe here. Bush will not visit Canada ever again and not just because of that B.C. lawyer's (frivolous) criminal case. Personally, I think his dislike of Canada started with that whole Rick Mercer "Jean Poutine" thing for This Hour has 22 Minutes. Republicans traditionally are not fans of Canada e.g. Socialized Medicine. In the lead up to the 'liberation' of Iraq I thought it was rather disingenous of Chretien, after the right decision to go into Afghanistan, to stick his finger in the air and see which way the political winds were blowing before deciding not to go into Iraq. I think this dithering offended the politicos in Washington and the softwood lumber dispute is tied up in it. It also should tell us that we need powerful lobbyists in the Senate and House. By not following the rule of law in so many things is it any wonder that the current american adminstration has essentially ignored the ruling by the NAFTA panel. With all that Bush has to deal with, CIA Leak, KatrinaRitaWilma, Iraq etc. the lumber dispute might seem like a small thing, but it isn't to us and abiding by the NAFTA panels decision would do a lot for improving his standing above the 49th. Also, where is some of the lumber gonna come from when the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast really gets going?