(I forgot to mention, hattip to Norman Spector for the links on these posts)
Norman Spector quotes John Ibbitson:
George Bush threw a political stink bomb into Paul Martin's lap yesterday. On Canadian soil, with the Prime Minister on the same stage, the U.S. President asked the Liberal government to please sign on to missile defence, a program that has riven the Liberal caucus, not to mention the rest of the country.
In doing so, Mr. Bush has landed the Liberals in a political mess. When they invited Mr. Bush to visit, this was not what this government had in mind.
Before the President's arrival, Canadian officials had been led to believe that the American delegation would lowball the issue during the visit, knowing that the question was politically sensitive for this government. But as soon as the bilateral discussions began, it was clear that missile defence was a priority for Mr. Bush.
