Senator McCain's recent kind words re: Canada in Afghanistan, which he used as an argument for not messing with NAFTA, have drawn a lot of attention north of the border. But the reasons why go a lot deeper than McCain himself, or Afghanistan itself, or even NAFTA itself, which was controversial in Canada.

Recently, Obama has begin to attract scrutiny for his promises to "renegotiate" NAFTA. That plays well with a certain segment in America, but it plays very poorly in Canada, even among people who didn't and don't like NAFTA. Frankly, even Canadians who supported the deal are annoyed at the consistent difficulty we've been having in getting the USA to keep its damn word re: the deal's terms. The whole "softwood lumber" dispute (which increased your home prices in America) was a prominent example, but not the only one. Now, we have some guy running for President, promising to bully the other signatories into changing the deal so it's less favourable to them.

Of course, he could simply be lying through his teeth. There are reports to that effect. But the impression of a bullying America that doesn't give a damn about its friends and won't keep its word, even with its #1 oil supplier, historic ally, and top trading partner, doesn't strike me as a great message to send the rest of the world if you're looking for friends. It will certainly play very poorly in Canada.

Need one add the monumental stupidity of promising to, in effect, first cripple the Mexican economy, and then throw open the border? Maybe someone in the press can find time to ask Mr. Obama about that...