Change we can believe in!

[Burris]

Obama Challenged on NAFTA Dialogue
March 03, 2008 01:57 PM ET | Permanent Link

Updated at 2:51 p.m.

The Clinton campaign this morning challenged Barack Obama to respond to a new report that suggests that the Democratic front-runner's senior economic policy adviser, Austan Goolsbee, told Canadian consulate officials in Chicago to take Obama's NAFTA criticism with a grain of salt because it was part of "political positioning" with voters in Ohio.

Obama's campaign has consistently denied it had any contact with the Canadian government about his NAFTA position. But an Associated Press report this morning cites a memo written by a consulate staffer about Goolsbee's meeting with the Canadians in which the adviser is reported to have assured the officials that some of Obama's Midwest protectionist rhetoric is politics, not policy. Howard Wolfson, Hillary Clinton's chief strategist, in a call this morning with reporters referred to the kerfuffle as the "developing NAFTA-gate story" and cited a litany of denials from the Obama camp that anyone from the campaign had contact with Canadian officials or that the senator was backing away from his trade position.

"Make Mr. Goolsbee available for a full interview," Wolfson demanded. Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton in a statement called the Clinton challenge a "false attack." Clinton is "not telling the truth on this story," and it is part of her strategy to "throw the kitchen sink" at Obama during the countdown to tomorrow's primaries. Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said her campaign flatly denies having any meeting with Canadian officials about her NAFTA comments.

This afternoon, the Canadian Embassy in Washington issued a statement that said in part: "In the recent report produced by the Consulate General in Chicago, there was no intention to convey, in any way, that Senator Obama and his campaign team were taking a different position in public from views expressed in private, including about NAFTA. We deeply regret any inference that may have been drawn to that effect."

—Liz Halloran

Hmmm.. sounds like the same old same old to me.

[2ltben]

This is a move for momentum before an important election, nothing more. Obama knows that if he keeps up his momentum he'll be able to pass Clinton in time to pick up the last few major states.


Never really saw how NAFTA itself was a bad thing. Problems only arise when states withhold their concession to free trade. Mexican agriculture is being hurt by US subsidies of agribusiness, a targetted benefit that only restrains Mexican trade. US deindustrialization will hurt and create unemployment within America, but only to be replaced by a foundation in the Services industry and to the great benefit of developing industrial nations.

Free trade isn't the problem, its when diplomats fuck up the fine print and leave out important addendums to stop the modern Carnegies and Rockefellers.

[Penguin]

US deindustrialization will hurt and create unemployment within America, but only to be replaced by a foundation in the Services industry and to the great benefit of developing industrial nations.

Until people realize it's cheaper to have their bureaucrats, middle managers and assorted yes-men in their own country.

If you want job security, you'd better learn a trade.

[Burris]

Anyone who takes political science will tell you the Manufacturing sector is the next part of the pyramid to be lobbed off.

[ReutherMonkey]

All I know is that in the 14 years before NAFTA, 2.7 million jobs in the manufacturing industry were lost. In the 14 years NAFTA has been in effect, 2.7 million jobs in the manufacturing industry were lost. However, in those same 14 years the quality of life for a majority of Americans has significantly improved. In other words, NAFTA has done zero to cut (or increase) manufacturing job losses. We're moving away from a manufacturing society - it's as simple as that. Just another step in the process of post-industrialization.

[Cheeto]

I recently read a thing that a lot of manufacturing in Mexico was being outsourced to Honduras and other such places and it was starting to piss off the Mexican workers.

The irony there is lethal.

[Rob]

Follow-up: My government screwed the pooch on this one, badly.


'NAFTAgate' began with remark from Harper's chief of staff

ALEXANDER PANETTA

The Canadian Press

March 5, 2008 at 8:53 PM EST

OTTAWA — If the Prime Minister is seeking the first link in the chain of events that has rocked the U.S. presidential race, he need look no further than his chief of staff, Ian Brodie, The Canadian Press has learned.

A candid comment to journalists from CTV News by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most senior political staffer during the hurly-burly of a budget lock-up provided the initial spark in what the American media are now calling NAFTAgate.

Mr. Harper announced Wednesday that he has asked an internal security team to begin finding the source of a document leak that he characterized as being "blatantly unfair" to Senator Barack Obama.

What is now a swirling Canada-U.S. controversy began on Feb. 26, when the usually circumspect Mr. Brodie was milling among droves of Canadian media on budget day in the stately old building that once housed Ottawa's train station.

Reporters were locked up there all day, examining the federal budget until they were allowed to leave once it was tabled in the House of Commons at 4 p.m.

Since the budget contained little in the way of headline-grabbing surprises, some were left with enough free time to gather around a large-screen TV to watch the latest hockey news on NHL trade deadline day.

Mr. Brodie wandered over to speak to Finance Department officials and chatted amiably with journalists — who appreciated this rare moment of direct access to the top official in Mr. Harper's notoriously tight-lipped government.

The former university professor found himself in a room with CTV employees where he was quickly surrounded by a gaggle of reporters while other journalists were within earshot of other colleagues.

At the end of an extended conversation, Mr. Brodie was asked about remarks aimed by the Democratic candidates at Ohio's anti-NAFTA voters that carried serious economic implications for Canada.

Since 75 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S., Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton's musings about reopening the North American free-trade pact had caused some concern.

Mr. Brodie downplayed those concerns.

"Quite a few people heard it," said one source in the room.

"He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton's campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt. . . That someone called us and told us not to worry."

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place.

They said that Mr. Brodie sought to allay concerns about the impact of Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton's assertion that they would re-negotiate NAFTA if elected. But they did say that Mr. Brodie had no recollection of discussing any specific candidate — either Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama.

CTV News President Robert Hurst said he would not discuss his journalists' sources.

But others said the content of Mr. Brodie's remarks was passed on to CTV's Washington bureau and their White House correspondent set out the next day to pursue the story on Ms. Clinton's apparent hypocrisy on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Although CTV correspondent Tom Clark mentioned Ms. Clinton in passing, the focus of his story was on assurances from the Obama camp.

He went to air on Feb. 27 with a report that the Democratic front-runner had given advance notice to Canadian diplomats that he was about to engage in some anti-NAFTA rhetoric, but not to take it too seriously.

The report wound up on YouTube and caused an uproar in the U.S. race — influencing the final days of the critical Ohio primary, with every indication it will also play a role in the upcoming Pennsylvania vote.

Mr. Obama has been pilloried by his opponents and faced the most aggressive questioning of his heretofore smooth-sailing campaign.

Clinton used the story to cast him as a double-talking hypocrite — winking and nudging at Canadians while making contrary promises to American voters.

Republican nominee John McCain — who proudly dubs himself a straight-talker — has also seized on the incident to paint the Democratic front-runner as anything but.

When Mr. Obama's campaign and the Canadian government denied the allegation, a leaked document was obtained by The Associated Press written by a Canadian diplomat. It chronicled a conversation between Obama economic adviser Austan Goulsbee and diplomats at Canada's Chicago consulate.

The Obama aide has challenged the wording of the memo and says it characterized the conversation unfairly. A government official said that memo was initially e-mailed to over 120 government employees.

Mr. Harper has rebuffed opposition requests to call in the RCMP and also investigate the source of the original tip that led to the CTV report that triggered the diplomatic tempest. But a team of internal security agents has begun an investigation that will see dozens of bureaucrats and political staff questioned about their knowledge of the leak.

"This kind of leaking of information is completely unacceptable. In fact, it may well be illegal," Mr. Harper told the House of Commons.

"It is not useful, it is not in the interests of the government of Canada — and the way the leak was executed was blatantly unfair to Senator Obama and his campaign.

"Based on what (investigators) find, and based on legal advice, we will take any action that is necessary to get to the bottom of this matter."

NDP Leader Jack Layton is asking Mr. Harper to call on the Mounties to find out how the leaks occurred, and whether the Security of Information Act or any other privacy legislation was breached.

"There can be no doubt about it: the leak from within the Canadian government has had an impact now on the American elections," Mr. Layton said Wednesday.

"That is about the worst thing a country could do to another country — to have an effect on their democratic process. . . If Mr. Harper isn't willing to call in the RCMP that confirms our suspicion that this was intentional."

Mr. Layton said Canadians would never accept Americans interfering in our elections, and we shouldn't tamper with theirs.

He said the incident is far more serious than another one last year in which the government called in the RCMP.

A temporary employee at Environment Canada was arrested in his office and marched out in handcuffs for allegedly leaking details of a government climate-change plan to the media.

Mr. Layton said that's small potatoes compared with inflicting political damage on one of the three contenders to lead the world's biggest superpower, and Canada's neighbour and largest trading partner.

"He's unwilling to treat it with the level of serious attention that he did when there was a junior bureaucrat at environment. . . He called in the RCMP on that one."

Link (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080305.wharpleak0305/BNStory/National/home)

[Burris]

Uhh hiding such information seems pretty scummy to me. They're going to arrest people?

[Crispulus]

Yeah, I like how Clinton was the one that downplayed her rhetoric but Obama got hit with the fallout.


We need a change from this kind of media as well.

[Burris]

Barack shouldn't be held accountable, and if you say anything negative about him that's OLD politics, the politics that hold you accountable..

[Crispulus]

Only problem with that Burris is that for the most part when people diss Barack it tends to be a lie.

[Burris]

Has this been proven a lie? Sounds to me his staffer was just the fallguy or girl.

[Crispulus]

Well, since it was a Clinton aide that made the grain of salt arguement and it somehow stuck to Barack.

Hey, Burris, I got an email I need you forward about Barack being Moslem.

[Burris]

See, whenever there's a substantive issue that Barack is called out on, it goes back to personal attacks on his race or his name.

[Crispulus]

Except that it didn't happen. It was CLINTON CAMP that told Canada land not to worry about NAFTAgate.

It had nothing to do with Obama.

[Burris]

I hope Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton DO remove nafta and save those 4,000,000 jobs at the behest of the 5,200,000 NAFTA gives us.

[PrivateParts]

Well, since it was a Clinton aide that made the grain of salt arguement and it somehow stuck to Barack.

Hey, Burris, I got an email I need you forward about Barack being Moslem.

From how i understand it, there are two parts to this 'naftagate' subject. The grain of salt part being related to the clinton camp (which was not telelivsed), and the second part (which was televised), that claimed the obama camp was giving esurance not to worry about nafta aswell.

Since it was televised and posted on youtube, it exploded into what it has become.


So there were two different claims if i understand correctly.


edit: also, if its being investigated as a leak of information, i must wonder if this could possibly be a lie at all.

[Cheeto]

See I wish someone WOULD ask Barack some real questions. Except it generally ends up being misinformed (NAFTA) or just some personal bullshit (OMG a Muslim terrorist black man from Chicago who's name is Hussein!). Only thing somewhat substanitive I've heard is the lack of experience, but saying Hillary has foreign policy experience is like hanging around an OR surgeron while he's working and then saying "Psh...I could do that shit."

[2ltben]

I hope Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton DO remove nafta and save those 4,000,000 jobs at the behest of the 5,200,000 NAFTA gives us.
Why is free trade a bad thing again? I'm pretty sure it was the limitations and pro-big business concessions that made NAFTA suck. The Republicans were the ones who introduced the damn thing.

Even independent of NAFTA, there is a mathematical correlation between the extent of free trade policies in a nation and bilateral relations, the functionality of liberal democracy, the level of poverty, and the per capita GDP. It may not have an effect on income inequality or unemployment, but its a damn good start.

[xerent]

I don't want change. I hate change. That's why I always pay with my credit card