The Canadians have been true blue most all the way through. Further, they have the stones to stand up and tell us when they think we are wrong. And we were. Someone who cravenly sucks up to you when they think you’re wrong isn’t your friend, but your bitch. And if we were the people we think we are, and that I dearly wish we were, we wouldn’t need such.
Further, it is inadvisable to piss off the country in possession of the only major reserves of strategic whale blubber in North America!
So kudos to the Canucks and three cheers for Sgt. Preston, that husky fucker! Your beer sucks, you talk funny, but you’re OK by me.
:dubious: I mean I’m glad Saddam is gone and all, but … are you serious? The salvation of the Iraqi people is, at best, a skimpy post hoc excuse for invasion.
Regardless, the comments of ordinary Americans on the Straight Dope have led me to think less of the balanced thoughts of Milum (assuming he has any).
To make it clear, the poll I was talking had to do with Canadians believing that we should have supported the U.S. because we are allies, NOT support for the war in general.
I’m still trying to dig up a cite for that other - it was all over the Canadian media during the war, but I haven’t found an internet link.
However, a new poll out shows that Canadian agreement with the justification for the war on Iraq is still rising, now at 46%, with support for the war highest here in Alberta, at 59%. Quebec the lowest at 38%.
And 61% of Canadians agree with Bush’s missile defense shield and want Canada to take part in it.
Ya got me. Perhaps we could send our Navy, if we can find some gas for the motor.
I suspect it just means that we should have offered our support verbally, and perhaps sent a few troops. The Americans particularly like our snipers. We could have spared a few. We could have done some good at the U.N. as well, had we stood up beside the U.S. and offered our support.
For what it’s worth, I hold no ill will towards Canada or Canadians for not supporting the war in Iraq. But maybe that’s because I was of mixed feelings about it myself.
90% of people who are me don’t believe any polls that are run by firms with a vested interest in one party or another.
95% of people who AREN’T me but who could be someone else feel that polls conducted by second-rate firms with questionable legal contracts to conduct polls in non-reflective target areas and then hold them up to be any sort of valid cross-section of the Canadian public are useless except to drum up support by misleading the public into following the pack.
82.3% of people who may or may not be you or I, but in fact may be someone else neither of us know find the war to be based on outright deception and implemented solely to initiate an illegal military action against a soveriegn nation with the aim of enhancing an obscene corporate hegemony.
71.8% of people who either you or I know without one party knowing the other party knows the third believe that the justification for this “war” (read conquest) has changed so often that it becomes clear that there IS no real justification save continued economic fraud backed by military might.
85.5% of people who could be me, you, OR the third guy either one of us may know, or in fact both of us may know while individually being unaware that the other guy knows the third
believe that the Canadian stance is really “We don’t want any part of your criminal and obscene actions no matter HOW long we’ve been friends”.
One thing is certain in Canada however, regardless of whether or not it’s true in the US… there is an inverse relationship between support for the “bomb anybody who disagrees with us back to the stone age then take their stuff and make it look like their fault” program and the level of literacy and education.
I am still waiting to meet ANY ONE of the illusory 70%.
To hell with diplomacy, I call pure bullshit on these figures and more importantly on the current US administration.
Many in Canada are starting to view the US in the same light as any other banana republic, now that you share the same level of gov’t legitimacy and accountability…
I must have missed the part where Canada tried to stop the United States from invading Iraq.
And I must have also missed the part where the United States formally expressed support for Canada’s war effort from September 10, 1939 to December 6, 1941.
I AM sure Canadian support would have been appreciated by some. A minority of Americans. Given the fact that the President could not even be bothered to thank Canada, the one and only country on the face of the Earth that actually helped them on 9/11 but thanked about 40 other countries, given the fact that Canada’s active combat participation in the Afghanistan war remains unknown to most Americans, given the fact that it would appear Canada’s skepticism over the justification for this war now appears to be totally correct, and given the fact that there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe the United States would ever help Canada in an equivalent situation, I’d say we were right to withhold our support.
QUOTE]*Originally posted by adaher *
**I don’t dislike Canada for not sending troops. After all, we didn’t get in on WWII for two years after Canada was fighting the Nazis.
However, we also didn’t try to stop them. We said, “Attaboy, you go!”
A lot of countries supported us and didn’t send troops. Canadian support would have been appreciated. **
[/QUOTE]
Actually it was given… tacitly in that weird Chrétien way.
From March 20th
As far as I’m concerned the world is no poorer with a Sadam free Iraq but the reasons stated for the invasion are still unproven and that makes me nervous.
Now pay attention here… Canada didn’t try to stop or hinder the United States. The very idea is laughable because there was no means for Canada to stop the US. We had no vote on the security council nor could we have put any noticible political or economic pressure against the States.
In fact, during the Diplomatic Phase Canada went out of its way to offer a solution in the impasse between France and the United States by suggesting a definite time limit to show proof followed by sanctioned action if certain criteria were not met.
We had Support from a few of the Countries that sat on the Security council, such as Mexico.
But Both France and the US rejected the Compromise. Neither side was interested.
Since that time there is a strange perception that we and Mexico somehow stabbed the US in the back or were “Weasels” because we didn’t blindly rubber stamp action. If you look closely at the events leading to the war you will see that is not true.
Eh. The U.S. repeatedly trods all over Canada when it comes to trade issues, so why in hell should we have supported a war in Iraq? The U.S. stomps on us when we support 'em (a la 9/11) so standing up to them is at least a different tactic that can’t do any worse.
When all this talk about a war with Iraq started, it was assumed that the US would go to the UN Security Council and gain the final resolution of approval. What this really wrong for us to ask for?
Again I’m going to say, Canada was all set to support a UN sanctioned war. We had troops training and battle ships preparing to head out. Instead, Bush had to avoid the UN, so we sent extra troops and a few more destroyers to Afganistan.
Realistically, how many wars are we supposed to help with? At the back of my mind, I expected more wars would follow after Iraq (my guess was Syria). Can we just say Canada is supporting you by holding out for the really big one?
When all this talk about a war with Iraq started, it was assumed that the US would go to the UN Security Council and gain the final resolution of approval. What this really wrong for us to ask for?
Again I’m going to say, Canada was all set to support a UN sanctioned war. We had troops training and battle ships preparing to head out. Instead, Bush had to avoid the UN, so we sent extra troops and a few more destroyers to Afganistan.
Realistically, how many wars are we supposed to help with? At the back of my mind, I expected more wars would follow after Iraq (my guess was Syria). Can we just say Canada is supporting you by holding out for the really big one?