“Relations between U.S. Presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers have not always been so cordial… Lester Pearson, Prime Minister in the ’60s, delivered a scathing antiwar speech in Washington at the height of the Vietnam War. The next day at the White House, Lyndon Johnson issued a stern reprimand: “You peed on my rug!” Relations between the two never recovered. And Richard Nixon once famously called Pierre Trudeau a “pompous egghead,” to which Trudeau replied, “I’ve been called worse things by better people.”
–Erik Heinrich
Last Thursday, on his first foreign visit, Barack Obama went to Ottawa, Canada’s capital. As an expat I was keen to hear what other Canadians had to say about the event in view of the credit crisis, Afghanistan and Obama’s statements on foreign oil. What next of clean energy and the latest goals on carbon emissions? But, once again, Canadian journalism let me down. Let me explain.
In a piece entitled “Not to worry, substance trumps charisma” academic and journalist Norman Spector didn’t bother with the pressing issues Canadians are concerned with. Instead, he positioned himself in the long line of columnists who seem more interested in convincing the reader of their superior character, experience and intelligence than offering something substantial to mull over.
For example: “Given where he started in life, Obama may well have felt more comfortable in the company of Jean Chrétien or Brian Mulroney, both of whom came from working-class families”. The ridiculous inference here is that Obama, unlike the author, is uncomfortable in the company of accomplished men.
He takes this further when he claims: “Barack Obama would not be where he is today had the elite U.S. universities like Columbia and Harvard not implemented affirmative action programs for the talented members of racial minorities.” This impossible-to-prove and insulting suggestion smacks of Geraldine Ferarro’s statement during the primaries that Obama would not have been so successful as a white man.
Instead of using his 700 words and vast experience (and, presumably, knowledge) to offer some critical analysis, in-depth historical reflections, or philosophical inquiry, Spector’s column is full of the kind of vague un-illuminating statements you expect from average politicians: “The day went almost perfectly for Canadians and Americans, which was all that was important.” It skims over biographical and historical details as if the author’s opinions don’t require explanation. So the reader is left to wonder why we are “fortunate to have Ignatieff in the wings”.
As a well-educated former Chief of Staff to a Canadian Prime Minister, I expect him to engage in some of the critical issues that Canadians are concerned with. As a journalist, he has a responsibility to.
A far better article on Obama’s visit can be found in Time.
