SocraticGadfly: Latest Bush-McClellan PR coverup

October 14, 2005

Latest Bush-McClellan PR coverup

So now Scotty McClellan, the court jester of the White House, is omitting comments from foreign leaders.


Of course, when you and Maximum Leader are dead wrong, and being told so in public, you have incentive to file-13 the statements of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Martin is probably thinking, "This doofus has to be kidding. Even Red Green is smarter."

President Bush pressed Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin for a negotiated settlement of the bitter U.S.-Canadian dispute over lumber tariffs on Friday. Martin rebuffed the overture and warned that Canada would seek relief in U.S. courts if necessary, according to their respective press secretaries. …
Martin insisted there's no reason for Canada to negotiate, as it has already won all challenges to U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber in cases brought before North American Free Trade Agreement panels, (Martin spokeswoman Melanie) Gruer said. "The prime minister emphasized that it makes little sense to negotiate a victory that we've already won."

She said Martin told Bush that Canada would take its fight to U.S. courts and appeal to Americans who benefit from cheaper Canadian lumber — something Martin suggested would be an embarrassment to Bush.

McClellan did not mention that threat in his version of the conversation.

Of course, Scotty has so much on his mind recently, he's probably having trouble remembering what to forget when.

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