Again from the Post we have Don Martin:
...He [President Bush] was a cunning devil in making the pitch. The President craftily resurrected the ghost of William Lyon Mackenzie King, repeating the former prime minister’s warning that “you do not defend our country and save our homes and family by waiting for the enemy to attack us. To remain on the defensive is the surest way to bring the war to Canada.”
He embraced the quote with just the hint of a smirk, knowing he was throwing a wartime Canadian prime minister’s words, reflecting a current affairs philosophy Bush could’ve written himself, back at Paul Martin. “McKenzie King was correct then and we must always remember the wisdom of his words today,” Bush insisted. “Two vast oceans and friendly neighbours cannot fully shield us from the dangers of the 21st Century,” he warned.
And then the fastball. “I hope we’ll move forward on ballistic missile defence co-operation to protect the next generation of Canadians and Americans from the threats we know will arise.” Never has the request for Canada’s thumbs up on the U.S. ballistic missile defence shield been so public and direct. A new level of co-operation between Canadian and American joint military operations has reduced the importance of parliamentary approval for the program. But a formal decision by the Prime Minister to endorse the plan would still divide public opinion and paint Martin as an American cheerleader.
That’s why Martin stays in classic dithering mode. But while his words waffle, it seems clearer by the day that Canada will sign up for the scheme with the caveat that the shield not be extended into outer space.
