Hey! Canada mattered in the US presidential race!
A leaked Canadian memo that raised doubts about the sincerity of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's threat to renegotiate NAFTA was a big factor in Hillary Clinton's victory in the Ohio primary, her top campaign aide says.
That's not exactly news, but the probable source, and how the story got spun, are important tidbits.
Ian Brodie, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, has been accused of being the source of the CTV News report. Brodie also allegedly told CTV reporters that people from the Clinton camp told Canadians to take her NAFTA concerns with a grain of salt.
CTV News went to air with the information on Feb. 27, focusing on the Obama side of the story, and it caused an uproar in the United States. Clinton accused Obama of double-talk, while the Republican front-runner and now nominee, John McCain, said Obama wasn't a straight-talker.
Basically, the Prime Minister's office leaked information to damage the Democrats, and the attacks were focused on Obama despite the same allegations being made about Clinton's rhetoric.
At least we know who the Conservatives are rooting for.
