March 06, 2008

Memo: we already knew Hillary Clinton reassured Canada on NAFTA

Ever-excitable Andy (link) and others (link, link, etc.) are up in arms over this report pointing out where "NAFTAgate" - the story that Barack Obama's senior economic policy advisor reassured Canada that the candidate's position on NAFTA was mostly just bluster - originated:

A candid comment to journalists from CTV News by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most senior political staffer [chief of staff Ian Brodie] during the hurly-burly of a budget lock-up provided the initial spark in what the American media are now calling NAFTAgate...

...[a "source in the room" says] "[Brodie] said someone from (Hillary) Clinton's campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt. . . That someone called us and told us not to worry."

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place.

They said that Mr. Brodie sought to allay concerns about the impact of Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton's assertion that they would re-negotiate NAFTA if elected. But they did say that Mr. Brodie had no recollection of discussing any specific candidate — either Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama...

What those now excited about this report have apparently forgotten is that it was pointed out in initial reports that both candidates were involved; see my 2/28 post "Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton told Canada their NAFTA talk was just bluster?".

UPDATE: The Austan Goolsbee memo is here. Per this:

[The Macleans reporter] notes that the famous line on "political positioning" is a paraphrase, not a quote, and could reflect a misunderstanding. But the memo also says Goolsbee not once, but twice, reassured the Canadians that changes to NAFTA won't be profound. Along with the oft-quoted claim that he'd described the NAFTA politics as "political positioning," the report says he was at another point in the conversation "quick to indicate that the senator is less interested in fundamental changes to the agreement and more looking at clarifying language on labour mobility and environmental standards."

Posted to Politics at March 6, 2008 10:27 AM