Revolutionary Moderation

Diplomacy



People are expressing concern about Frank McKenna's appointment as ambassador to the United States. According to the radio, some believe he's too much of a "blue Liberal", too conservative.



Wait a minute. That's exactly the sort of person I want telling the Bush administration things they don't want to hear. The ambassador doesn't set policy, he communicates it. Think about it... why did we hate Paul Cellucci so much? I think it was because he kept telling Canadians our business, without having any sign that he understood anything about us.



If McKenna's appointment is a sign that Martin wants to fold up on every issue where we disagree with the USA, we have trouble. I'm willing to give the Prime Minister a little more credit than that. I think this might be part of a strategy to give Canada the flexibility to tell the American administration to get bent when we feel like it.



The old joke says diplomacy is the ability to tell a person to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip. I think the tide has turned sufficiently on missile defense that Martin is in a corner - he's going to have to say "go to hell" to Dubya. I don't resent him every chance to convince the Americans not to take it out on us via softwood lumber and cattle imports.