Molly Ivins - Letter from Canada. eh?

[nosmokes]

original

Tough sledding
Canadians watch in shock as America seriously considers re-electing Bush

For them, it's like having the Simpsons for next-door neighbors.

KANANASKIS, Alberta -- Make that a big Canadian, "Oh dear." These nice Canadians, whom George W. Bush once managed to triumphantly identify as "our most important neighbors to the north" are famous for their reticence. Canada, Land of the Understatement. I once proposed their national motto should be: "Now, Let's Not Get Excited." Not that I would ever generalize. I attribute their commendable phlegm to being too cold to waste much energy, and also to regular ingestion of oatmeal.
~snip~
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Just FYI, of the many allies the Bush White House managed to gratuitously insult on the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, we miffed the Canadians by blowing off their last-minute attempt to work out a deal for continued inspections under a strict timeframe -- we not only blew it off, we went to the trouble of being rude and arrogant about it. Among its other unpleasant traits, bad manners rank quite high on this administration's list of failings. In addition, some right-wingers weighed in with juvenile taunts along the intellectually brilliant lines of "nyah-nyah-nyah."

The National Review published a cover story headlined "Wimps!" Bill O'Reilly of Fox News got all huffy over something a Toronto columnist wrote and decided to appoint himself our national spokesman. Diplomacy is not O'Reilly's forte (he called Canadians "dishonest pinheads").

Of the many stupid things our country has done lately, alienating the best neighbor any country ever had ranks fairly high on the All Time Stupid list. So I have been at some pains to try to answer the ever-so-delicately phrased questions: Are you people actually going to re-elect that nincompoop? (I doubt a Canadian would ever actually ask an American that question -- this is free interpretation on my part.)
~snip~
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What is most striking to me every time I visit this country is how much more Canadians know about the United States and the rest of the world than many Americans do. Because they are generally less provincial than we are and certainly pay more attention to world news, they are acutely aware of how much the Bush administration has increased anti-Americanism around the globe. That's why so many of them are stupefied at the idea he might be re-elected -- they perceive him as having done great harm to his own country.

So, here I am trying to explain these politely astonished people how Americans could vote for George W. Bush. Some days are much tougher sledding than others.
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Molly Ivins is the former editor of the liberal monthly The Texas Observer. She is the bestselling author of several books including Molly Ivins Can't Say That Can She?
(c) 2004 Creators Syndicate

[NMDemDist2]

1. I love Molly and as usual she is spot on with this one too. n/t

[Lin]

2. Aw Come on,* LOVE HIS NEIGHBOR JUST like he wants to be loved himself

right? oh yea :(

[3trievers]

3. I can't restrain myself

Are you people actually going to re-elect that nincompoop? Present company excluded of course.

[antigone382]

4. lol

If the nincompoop is re-elected, I may just cast my next ballot as a Canadian.