October 2012 – Page 2 – David Akin’s On The Hill

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde (above), the former French finance minister (and first female, one might note, to hold the position of finance minister in any G8 country, including Canada), was in Toronto this evening where, among other things, she thanked Canadians for lending the world the “wise counsel” of Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney (he is doing double duty as bank governor and as chair of the G20’s Financial Stability Board) and then almost certainly put herself on Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Christmas Card list by not only praising the country’s financial record but using a hockey analogy to do so! Continue reading IMF chief Lagarde praises Canada. Mentions Wayne Gretzky!

Drezner says: Why the foreign policy debate is already ruined

Couldn’t agree more with Tufts University international politics scholar Daniel Drezner who argues the U.S. presidential foreign policy debate is already ruined since two-third of the debate will be devoted to the Middle East and none of it will be devoted to American’s international trade or foreign economic policy.

Now I get that some of these topics won’t come up in a foreign policy debate that lasts only 90 minutes. But I’m also thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would be a better foreign policy debate if they actually talked about, you know, SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!!!

I’m not saying the Middle East isn’t important — we have lost blood and treasure there, some of it very recently. But I simply do not believe that the region is so important that it should occupy 66.7% of a foreign policy debate

via Why the foreign policy debate is already ruined | Daniel W. Drezner.

I’d add that it looks like the topics have been selected to goose TV ratings rather than to explore issues that will be fundamental to the everyday lives of Americans on November 7. Most notably: $1 billion a day cross the U.S.-Canada border. Good? Bad? Could be better? Like to hear about that!

Candy Crowley was wrong. Here's why.

In the Saturday Night Live skit, above, that pokes fun at President Obama’s lousy performance in the first presidential debate, there is a point — at 4:24 into the clip — when a daydreaming Obama is interrupted by the moderator who asks: “Mr. President: Governor Romney has has just said that he killed Osama bin Laden. Would you care to respond?”

That, in my view, is exactly how a debate moderator should respond when the moderator perceives a blatant falsehood has been put forward by a candidate. Simply ask the other candidate to respond. Continue reading Candy Crowley was wrong. Here's why.

Town Hall moments Obama and Romney would like to forget

Tonight’s presidential debate is a “Town Hall”-style format in which everyday voters, not journalists or politicians, will put the questions to President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The interlocutors are all pre-screened and the debate moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley, has selected the questions but still, these will be real, live and apparently undecided voters quizzing the candidates.

This presents a bit of a risk for any politicians. You never what the “real voter” will say and you never what the politicians might say. Here’s two moments from previous town-hall-style debates that both candidates hope they don’t repeat. Continue reading Town Hall moments Obama and Romney would like to forget

For the country's Liberals, leadership races from coast-to-coast

New twists on the politics of the Benghazi attack

Yesterday in Lima, Peru, Elise Labott of CNN had this exchange with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

QUESTION: You say you don’t want to play the blame game, but certainly there’s a blame game going on in Washington. In fact, during the presidential debate, Vice President Biden said, “We didn’t know.” White House officials calling around saying, “Hey, this is a State Department function.” Are they throwing you under the bus?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, of course not. Look, I take responsibility. I’m in charge of the State Department, 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts. The President and the Vice President certainly wouldn’t be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. They’re the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision.

via Interview With Elise Labott of CNN.

That quickly led to stories like this one from Reuters’ Andrew Quinn: Continue reading New twists on the politics of the Benghazi attack

Canada has a new Apple! Say hello to "Salish"!

Salish Apple — The new Salish apple (Handout photo/Government of Canada)

I’m a graduate of the University of Guelph (Ontario) and, though I studied history there, you’ve probably heard that Guelph takes agriculture pretty darn seriously. I do, too. So I was pretty excited to learn today that Canada has a brand new apple variety and, based on the description in the official press release from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, it sounds like a tasty one. The new apple is called the Salish and here’s what the government has to say about it in that press release: Continue reading Canada has a new Apple! Say hello to "Salish"!

Should journalists use drones?

ENAC Blender Drone — An employee of ENAC company handles Blender drones, on September 26, 2012 in Merignac near Bordeaux, during the “UAV Show Europe”, an International Drone fair. (AFP PHOTO / PIERRE ANDRIEU)

Tell me, esteemed blog readers: Should journalists use drones? Governments and military, mostly in the U.S., are already using pilotless aircraft to gather information (and carry out military strikes). But should journalism organizations use drones to hover over your house, protest, or corporate meeting? Should a pilotless eye-in-the-sky, like the Blender drones above, be able to spy on you, your friends, or your enemies? Continue reading Should journalists use drones?

Is Obama taking a page from Harper's election playbook?

Henry Olsen, the vice president and director of the national research initiative for the conservative U.S. think tank American Enteprise Institute is warning Republicans that Obama is trying to beat Romney with the same club that Stephen Harper’s Conservatives used to considerable effect to deal with Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals in Canada’s last general election: Continue reading Is Obama taking a page from Harper's election playbook?

Month: October 2012

Hey! We're giving money to snowmobile clubs in Quebec again!

IMF chief Lagarde praises Canada. Mentions Wayne Gretzky!