Report questions Clinton NAFTA position (Did the same thing as Obama)

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Writer
March 6, 2008

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff said someone in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign gave Canada back-channel assurances that her harsh words about the North American Free Trade Agreement were for political show, according to a report by the Canadian Press.

The report comes just days after a Canadian government memo stated Barack Obama's senior economic adviser told Canadian officials that the Illinois senator's own comments about NAFTA were for "political positioning." The release of that memo helped Clinton defeat Obama decisively in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Ohio, where the trade treaty is unpopular.
On Wednesday, the Canadian Press quoted an unidentified source at Canada's CTV television network as saying that Ian Brodie, Harper's chief of staff, made the comment last week to a CTV crew during a press gathering to discuss Canada's budget.

According to a person with knowledge of the incident, the source was a CTV journalist.

According to the report, a CTV reporter asked Brodie about remarks by Clinton and Obama that they would seek to renegotiate NAFTA.

"He said someone from 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," the journalist quoted Brodie as saying, according to the report.

On Thursday, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said the campaign "flatly denied" the suggestion that a Clinton adviser had told Canadian government officials to take the candidate's tough talk on NAFTA with "a grain of salt."

Brodie did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

Some Democrats, as well as Canadian opposition parties, have accused Harper's Conservative government of meddling in the U.S. primary elections — in which Obama is in a close race with Clinton for the Democratic Party's nomination.

In Ottawa, Canadian opposition parties demanded Brodie be fired.

Harper told lawmakers in Parliament that the government would investigate the entire affair, referring to the alleged leaks about both the Clinton and Obama campaigns.

"We're going to investigate this entire matter and take whatever action that is deemed necessary based on the facts that we are able to discover," Harper said, a day after he called the release of the memo unfair and possibly illegal.

Canada's New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton blasted the alleged leaks.
"There can be no doubt about it: The leak from within the Canadian government has had an impact now on the American elections," Layton said. "That is about the worst thing a country could do to another country — to have an effect on their democratic process."

The U.S. ambassador to Canada called the release of the memo "unfortunate."

"The prime minister yesterday stated that it was regretful that it happened and it shouldn't have happened," Ambassador David Wilkins told The Associated Press on Thursday. "Now we need to get it behind us and move forward and continue to actuate the positive and build on this great relationship we do have."

Both Obama and Clinton said last week they would use the threat of pulling out of NAFTA to persuade Canada and Mexico to negotiate more protections for workers and the environment in the agreement.

NAFTA is unpopular among many blue collar workers in the United States who say it has cost American jobs.

A CTV report last week by Washington-based journalist Tom Clark said that both the Obama and Clinton campaigns gave Canada assurances over NAFTA. But the report led with Obama, and all the attention since then has been on his campaign.

Clark told the AP he had multiple sources on his story including a senior official at the Canadian embassy in Washington.

His TV report said a senior member of the Obama campaign contacted Canada's ambassador in Washington and told him any tough talk on NAFTA would just be campaign rhetoric. The Canadian embassy and the Obama campaign have both denied this.

Clark's report also quoted sources as saying the Clinton campaign made "indirect contact" with the Canadian government to express their support for NAFTA. The Clinton campaign has denied this too.

A 1,300-word memo obtained by the AP on Sunday, widely circulated within the Canadian government, said Obama's senior economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, told Canadian officials in Chicago that the debate over free trade in the Democratic presidential campaign was "political positioning."

Goolsbee later said his comments were misinterpreted, and Obama denied offering the Canadians any such ideas. "Nobody reached out to the Canadians to try to assure them of anything," Obama told reporters Monday in Carrollton, Texas.

Harper earlier denied his chief of staff leaked that memo, but didn't say anything about the CTV's report last week.

ABC last week reported that Brodie was Clark's source. Earlier this week, a spokeswoman for Harper said "Brodie does not recall discussing the matter."

Clinton seized upon the memo to criticize Obama.

"I think that's the kind of difference between talk and action that I've been talking about," Clinton told reporters while campaigning in Ohio on Monday. "It raises questions about Senator Obama coming to Ohio and giving speeches against NAFTA."

The Canadian Press report raises questions about the Clinton campaign doing the same.

******

Note: If this article is correct Hillary did exactly what she accused Obama of doing in backchanneling to the Canadian Government that their comments on NAFTA during the debate were for the audience in Ohio and didn't mean a thing. This should also bring back memories of the Clinton Presidency. Blame the opposition for something you have already done which the Clinton surrogates were famous for in the 90's.

My bold and highlighted.

Samantha

OBAMA TALKS 'REAL CHANGE'

Posted: Saturday, March 01, 2008 5:12 PM
by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Attempting to change the storyline away from national security and “the red-phone” moment that dominated the news coverage yesterday, Obama introduced a new slogan on the stump: “real change.”

Variations on the theme change has been Obama's message and on his banners since Iowa, including: “Stand for change,” “Change you can believe in,” and “Are you ready for change?” “But I want you to understand what real change is,” Obama told the crowd. “Don't be fooled. Real change means saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Real change isn't about fitting the politics of the moment.”

He continued with a series of attacks on Clinton's record, including NAFTA, the bankruptcy bill, the vote to go to war in Iraq and the power of lobbyists and special interests. Obama also tried to paint Clinton as a flip flopper, repeatedly telling the crowd she had changed her positions since she started running for president. “Real change isn't calling NAFTA a victory and saying how good it was for America until you decide to run for President, like Senator Clinton did,” Obama continued before detailing his own positions, saying that he represented “real change” on the issues.

Presenting himself as consistent on NAFTA, he said, “I won't stand here and tell you that I will stop every job from disappearing because of globalization, but I will tell you that I'll be thinking about workers and not just Wall Street when I put together trade agreements. I will end the tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. That is real change. That's change you can count on, because I've been saying this for four, five, six, seven years. I don't just say this during an election.”

Obama has also been complimentary of NAFTA, saying benefitted parts of his home state in Illinois. However, he has also said that the agreement should include labor and environmental protection. Clinton has praised NAFTA in the past, because, like Obama in Illinois, it has helped parts of her state. Both candidates' rhetoric on the issue has heated up since they started campaigning in Ohio, which has lost more than 250,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000.
Obama ended by hitting Clinton on the war, claiming that “real change isn't voting for George Bush's war in Iraq and then telling the American people it was actually a vote for more diplomacy when you start running for President.”

Criticizing Clinton's explanation of her vote to go to war, Obama shouted out to the crowd with former Sen. Lincoln Chaffee sitting in the front row, “I knew what it was. Lincoln Chaffee knew what it was. It was a vote for war. And if Lincoln Chaffee could stand up against this president, he knew what the vote was. Lincoln opposed this war. Many of you opposed this war. That's why I will bring this war to an end when I am president.”

The mention of Chaffee's name appeared to whip the crowd into a frenzy of enthusiasm. Ironic since Rhode Islanders voted Chaffee out of office in 2006, despite his vote against the war. Obama's only point that could be a reference to Clinton's ad from yesterday, when the candidates traded barbs on who was best fit to answer the phone in the White House when it rang at 3 a.m., was to say that he was opposed to “the fever of fear” that employed 9-11 as a “way to scare up votes.”

Instead he referred to Clinton's “clouds parting” comment to claim critics were discrediting his message of “hope.”

A statement issued by Rhode Island College said the event, with an estimated 5,000 people inside the hall and another 5,000 outside, was the state's largest political event since 1996. Back then a rally for President Bill Clinton drew a crowd of 10,000. Obama was introduced by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who told the crowd the candidate's eloquence would be an effective tool to bring about change when he is president.

Obama is not expected to win this bright blue state where the Clintons are immensely popular. However, Clinton's lead has begun to erode in the state, and the large population of college students may help Obama due to better than expected.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/01/721065.aspx

(My bold and highlight)

Lynn Sweet: Obama tells Ellen DeGeneres being president "is really cool."

Feb 28, 2008
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/02/sweet_obama_tells_ellen_degene.html

AUSTIN, TEXAS--Barack Obama told Ellen DeGeneres that his poll numbers went up after he danced on her show....Day One as president would be "really cool" and chewing on the stop-smoking Nicorette "tastes like you’re chewing on ground pepper – but it does help."

from the Obama campaign...

Barack Obama did an interview with Ellen DeGeneres today. Below is the press release with excerpts sent out by Time Warner.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres continues talking politics with the 2008 Presidential candidates when she chats with Senator Barack Obama during a live interview via satellite during an event at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, TX. This interview will air on Thursday, February 28, 2008 (check your local listings). Senator Obama discusses dancing, quitting smoking and what his first day in office would be like if he were to be elected. Ellen also asks about running a clean campaign and why he thinks people should vote for him.

On dancing

Ellen: …Hello, and the next question is: any new dance moves since I’ve been with you last?

Barack: I just want to say that we were kind of in a slump until I was dancing on the show – my poll numbers skyrocketed after that.

Everybody saw me bust a move on Ellen – that’s all it took.

On quitting smoking

Ellen: Alright, here’s the big question: Have you been able to not smoke when there’s so much pressure and so much stress – to try to do such a –it’s such a horrible, hard habit to break, and I know ‘cause I’ve struggled with it myself. Have you been able to stop?

Barack: I’ve been able to do it. I’ve been chewing on this Nicorette, which tastes like you’re chewing on ground pepper – but it does help.

And this was a deal-breaker for Michelle. I had been sneaking three cigarettes, four cigarettes a day for awhile, and she said if you’re going to do this you’ve got to stop – precisely because the stress was going increase, and it’ll just get worse. So that’s an example of my wife making me a better man once again.

On what his first day would be like if elected

Ellen: Wow, that’s great, that’s great. Now questions about politics. Hilary says that she is ready on day one. And you say you are ready on day one as well. So my question is, number one: are you ready? What is day one like? Do you wake up at eight? Do you get breakfast.? What’s your day one?

Barack: Well, first of all I think I’ll just go into the Oval Office and sit at the desk and say,”Wow, this is really cool.” Actually, the first day after I’m sworn in and I don’t know whether that counts as day one or not, I think the day after the inauguration if I were lucky enough to serve it would be to call in the joint chiefs of staff to really start talking about how do we get our troops out of Iraq in an honorable, careful, responsible way..I am a strong believer that we need to bring this war to an end.

On running a clean campaign

Ellen: Yes, I agree with that. Alright, and now everyone is saying this has been a clean campaign, as campaigns go, it’s been pretty clean…but let’s talk about the fliers in Ohio that Hillary says didn’t represent her properly. They misrepresent her. Did they? And, what do you say about that?

Barack: Well, obviously I think that they represented her position properly which is that she supported in the past NAFTA, which has been pretty hard on Ohio, and we’ve had an ongoing discussion about healthcare. Both of us want to provide healthcare to all Americans. There’s a slight difference, and her plan is a good one. But, she mandates that everybody buy healthcare. She’d have the government force that every individual buy insurance and I don’t have such a mandate because I don’t think the problem is that people don’t want health insurance, it’s that they can’t afford it. I focus more on lowering costs. This is a modest difference. But, it’s one that she’s (Hillary) tried to elevate, arguing that because I don’t force people to buy healthcare that I’m not insuring everybody. If things were that easy, I could mandate everybody to buy a house, and that would solve the problem of homelessness. It doesn’t. But this is a philosophical disagreement that we have and it’s one that we’re going to continue to talk about. Overall though, as you said (Ellen), this has been a relatively clean campaign. I have enormous respect for Senator Clinton and I’m looking forward to working with her to make sure that Democrats win in November.

On why should people vote for Senator Obama

Ellen: Now here’s the thing. And, I’m sure you hear this. I really like you. I really like Hillary. And I think a lot of people feel the same way. I think that sometimes it’s a very clear-cut thing when you have two people running, you go, “I am absolutely for this person.” But I think a lot of people like both of you. So when you have people that like both of you, and are saying, “Look I’d be happy if either one of them won,” why vote for you?

Barack: Well, I think that we’re at a moment in history where, in order to solve big problems, to provide healthcare to people who really need it, to make college more affordable, to help families save a little bit of money for retirement…we’ve got to bring the country together. And I think I have a better chance at getting Democrats and Independents and Republicans to come together and put aside some partisan bickering that has been going on for a long time now that the Clintons were involved in.

Ellen: Well Senator Obama this has been a pleasure talking to you. I know you’re busy and you took time out and I appreciate it so very much. We’re going to play some music. I’m going to dance. If you hear the music, I hope you’re going to boogie a tiny bit. You said it helps.

(Music plays; Ellen and Barack dance)

Obama Deceived Debate Viewers on NAFTA Plans, Canada TV Says

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
February 28, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - Did Sen. Barack Obama say one thing privately to the Canadian government about NAFTA -- and something very different during Tuesday night's debate? The answer is yes, according to CTV, a Canadian television network.

The network reported Wednesday night that a "senior member" of the Obama campaign called Michael Wilson, the Canadian ambassador to the U.S., "within the last month," warning Wilson that Obama would "take some heavy swings" at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as part of his campaign.

CTV video

The Obama insider reportedly told the ambassador, "Don't worry -- it's just campaign rhetoric, it's not serious," CTV reported.

CTV reported that the Obama campaign's message to Wilson was taken as "completely authentic" by the Canadian government.

At Tuesday's debate in Cleveland, Sen. Hillary Clinton said that as president she would opt out of the North American Free Trade Agreement in six months, if she couldn't renegotiate the agreement with Canada and Mexico to her satisfaction.

"I will make sure we renegotiate," Obama agreed. "I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced."

Democrats count labor unions among their biggest supporters, and labor unions blame NAFTA for eliminating jobs.

On Wednesday, Canada's Trade Minister David Emerson said NAFTA is at risk, given Clinton and Obama's threats to end it, the Bloomberg News Service reported.

"The rhetoric of protectionism has been creeping up and getting more strident," Emerson was quoted as saying. "It's not just the heat of the presidential campaign," he said -- there's a grassroots movement against it as well.

Emerson said Mexico, Canada and the United States all benefit from the 1994 trade deal, which was negotiated by the Clinton administration. "The dismantling of trade barriers and the opening of markets has led to economic growth and rising prosperity in all three countries," the U.S. Commerce Department says on its Web site.

Canada is the USA's biggest trading partner.

Bloomberg also quoted Finance Minister Jim Flaherty as saying that it will be "very important" for the eventual U.S. presidential nominee to talk with "those who are very knowledgeable about" NAFTA.

Obama has not directly responded to questions about his differing private and public stands on NAFTA. A spokesperson for the Obama campaign told CTV that the Obama staffer's conversation with Ambassador Wilson sounded implausible. But the spokesperson did not deny that the Obama campaign had contacted Wilson.

"Senator Obama does not make promises he doesn't intend to keep," the spokesperson told CTV.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080228a.html