CTV Retracts....

Mark Kleiman on a day of dial downs, retractions, and walk-backs.

CTV now alleges a "conversation" between Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee and the Canadian consulate in Chicago.

Comments

I don't call that much of a retraction at all.

CTV is a well respected national news media source in Canada (with leftist sympathies by the way).

Obama's camp is trying to pull a McCain and attack the source. But CTV isn't the Times. There is no bias and the story sounds perfectly reasonable.

The Prime Minister of Canada and the Trade Minister have both publically denounced Obama's plan to re-open NAFTA.

Obama doesn't need any more foriegn policy blunders after already being angrily denounced by the government of Pakistan.

It makes sense that there was some backchanel diplomacy.

Posted by Jesse | February 29, 2008 3:59 PM

I'm sorry, it isn't reasonable and makes NO sense that someone from *any* campaign (Obama or Clinton) would semi-officially say to a high-level government official from another country that the words they are going to be speaking to the American public aren't true. ----- It can't matter to them at this juncture what the Canadian government thinks. Even if it did, why would the campaign take the great risk of saying something? The whole thing smells.

Maybe CTV's statement wasn't a "retraction," but it was certainly a "change". The first CTV report had someone from Obama's staff calling Ambassador Michael Wilson in Washington. The second CTV story had a (named) Obama advisor calling the Consultate General (or someone at that office) in Chicago. Which is it? Why the changes? CTV hasn't even acknowledged that there has been a change in the story. As I said, something smells...

Posted by Elizabeth | February 29, 2008 7:02 PM

Elizabeth, back off the conspiracy tone. Nothing smells.

Why in the world would CTV want to get involved in an american election?! It has leftist sympathies to begin with and would probably be open to arguements about strengthening labor and environmental regulations on the Mexican side of things.

Clearly there is something here and they are reporting it.

And you obviously don't know how important Canada has become. HINT: Canada is America's #1 supplier of energy.

Posted by Jesse | February 29, 2008 9:06 PM