I know I know, there’ve been a lot of -Gates over the years but it appears that this story may still have some legs under it. Now some of you may have heard about reports on a Canadian news network (CTV) in which they discuss a phone call from one of Sen. Obama’s top advisors to the office of the Canadian Ambassador, Michael Wilson.
There’ve been well-parsed denials thrown about by a Canadian Consulate and by BO’s camp saying there was never any such phone call. The thing is – CTV is a reputable news source in Canada (unlike many here in the States), there was contact made, CTV’s updated their reports with a new video, they are standing by their earlier story and they are even naming names.
Take a look...
Make the jump – you know you want to...
First – a look at the first video that ran Wednesday night...
Now there’s been a lot of back & forth over the past two days but the thing is BO’s camp never issued a flat-out denial and gave the Canadian Consulates or Ambassador carte blanche / immunity to release the name of whoever they think contacted the embassy (which is exactly what Hillary’s folks did – immediately and without hesitation). I mean really - how hard would it have been for BO’s campaign to say something like...
that CTV report is rubbish – no one in our campaign has made contact with anyone in the Canadian Embassy or government in regards to NAFTA or any other matter – period. We give full immunity to the Canadian government to release any and all information they have on this matter, because we know for a fact that they have nothing.
It’d be easy enough to confirm in this case, as we’re talking about a "top staff member" in BO’s campaign. That could only mean a handful of people – right?
And today we’re seeing updates and additional information coming out from CTV. Jake Tapper is reporting on this latest development...
ABC News' Jennifer Parker spoke to Goolsbee, a University of Chicago economics professor, Thursday who would not confirm or deny that he had a conversation with Georges Rioux, the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago. Rioux, in meetings this week in Ottawa, would also neither confirm nor deny any conversation took place. Both men did say that they know each other.
And this from a report by CTV earlier today...
On Wednesday, CTV reported that a senior member of Barack Obama's campaign called the Canadian embassy within the last month saying that when Senator Obama talks about opting out of the free trade deal, the Canadian government shouldn't worry. The operative said it was just campaign rhetoric not to be taken seriously.
Then they mention that BO’s camp issued a denial of any such call taking place. But CTV goes on to report...
However, the Obama camp did not respond to repeated questions from CTV on reports that a conversation on this matter was held between Obama's senior economic adviser -- Austan Goolsbee -- and the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago.
Earlier Thursday, the Obama campaign insisted that no conversations have taken place with any of its senior ranks and representatives of the Canadian government on the NAFTA issue. On Thursday night, CTV spoke with Goolsbee, but he refused to say whether he had such a conversation with the Canadian government office in Chicago. He also said he has been told to direct any questions to the campaign headquarters.
Then they mentioned that denial from a staffer at a Canadian Consulate, saying no such call took place. CTV goes on to report...
Sources at the highest levels of the Canadian government -- who first told CTV that a call was made from the Obama camp -- have reconfirmed their position.
CTV stands by their story re BO, NAFTA & the Canadians. Let’s take another look at that latest CTV news report, eh?
Ok so at this point we’ve got non-denial denials from BO’s camp, a denial from some staffer at one of the Canadian Consulates saying that no one from either campaign has called the embassy to discuss NAFTA, and a follow up report from CTV confirming their earlier story, noting they’d gotten timelines from their Ambassador’s office as recently as the day before, and releasing the name of the Obama advisor who contacted their consulate in Chicago. And oh yeah – the updated report tells us it wasn’t just a phone call – they met face to face.
Earlier this evening Hillary’s campaign sent out the following press release...
Clinton Campaign Statement on New Developments Regarding Austin Goolsbee and CTV NAFTA Report
For several days, simple questions have been posed to the Barack Obama campaign:
Has anyone associated with their campaign met with Canadian officials? Has anyone associated with their campaign offered private assurances to Canadian officials downplaying Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric?
In response, the Obama campaign has offered several carefully parsed non-denials.
But this evening new information has come to light: Senator Obama’s top economic advisor admitted to meeting with the Canadian consul general but has refused to deny that he discussed NAFTA in this meeting.
This raises a host of additional questions: Now that it is clear that this meeting occurred, what was discussed? Did Austin Goolsbee or any Obama official downplay Senator Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric to Canadian officials? Why have they have been trying to give the impression that no conversation ever occurred?
Voters deserve more than empty rhetoric and Senator Obama and his campaign should finally come clean and answer these questions.
ABC News Report, 2/29/08:
On Thursday, Goolsbee told ABC’s Jennifer Parker that Canada 's consul general in Chicago contacted him "at one point to say ‘hello’ because their office is around the corner."
Goolsbee refused, however, to deny whether he downplayed Obama’s anti-NAFTA rhetoric.
Wow... so even after admitting that this meeting took place, they’re still avoiding answering the tough question that was raised by a reputable news outlet in Canada not once, but twice in as many days – did Goolsbee tell the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago that they had nothing to worry about regarding Obama’s anti-NAFTA rhetoric?
Simple question – you’d think they could respond with either
Yes
Or
No.
as to whether the topic of discussion was NAFTA.
Well it seems labor’s none too pleased with Obama’s double-talk. The machinists union has to say about this matter...
WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 PRNewswire- USNewswire -- "Senator Barack Obama faces a huge credibility gap on NAFTA," declared Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). "In a nationally televised debate, he told Ohioans he would renegotiate the treaty. But just weeks earlier, his senior economic adviser signaled to a foreign government that the Senator's anti-NAFTA stance would be just 'campaign rhetoric.'"
According to the CTV Television Network, a senior economic adviser to the Obama campaign, Austan Goolsbee, contacted the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago to telegraph Obama's pro-NAFTA stance. Goolsbee is the Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, a Fulbright Scholar and a New York Times columnist.
The CTV story , which aired on February 27, has roiled political discussion in both Canada and the United States. The network stood by its story in a follow-up report released today:
"Which is it, Senator Obama? Are you pro-NAFTA, or anti-NAFTA?" asked Buffenbarger. "If Senator Obama is really an anti-NAFTA candidate, he will repudiate Austan Goolsbee and his message to the Canadian government. And he should do so before Ohioans and Texans vote."
The IAM is among the nation's largest trade unions, representing nearly 720,000 active and retired members in manufacturing, aerospace, shipbuilding, transportation and defense-related industries. For more information, visit www.goiam.org.
Source: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
I’m guessing a lot of other labor unions are thinking the same thing right about now.