Stay out of Republican tent, writer says

Catholic New Times, Feb 13, 2005

TORONTO -- Writing on the website straightgoods.com, well-known author Linda McQuaig rejected the frequently used argument that Canada should become more integrated with the United States. "The naive notion that cozying up to the White House advances Canadian interests has been cultivated by supporters of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. They insist that Mulroney's coziness with U.S. president Ronald Reagan paved the way for our free trade deals. But those deals were more a U.S. than a Canadian triumph; Canada failed to win guaranteed access to the U.S. market, while the Americans did win guaranteed access to our energy," McQuaig wrote.

She pointed out that British Prime Minister Tony Blair's dogged loyalty to U.S. President George W. Bush over Iraq, has won him little more than the nickname "Poodle." Blair's loyalty didn't even protect British steel exports from punitive U.S. tariffs. Bush's only concession to Blair seems to be the repatriation of British prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

"Perhaps in the ghastly Bush era, this is the only concession a country can hope to win from the U.S.--a torture reprieve for its citizens."

The Toronto-based journalist checking off Bush's list of questionable priorities said that "while no country can stop--or even influence--the Bush administration, it's important to steer clear of its bandwagon. With scary times ahead, keeping a cool head and staying true to our values should be the goal--not trying to find a comfy but worthless niche inside the Republican tent."