Recently, I friended a really great guy and his wife who were friends of My Reason for Living and myself while I was in law school.
Today, he asked me what was up with "the Canuck" thing.
Gosh. Where do I begin?
When I was in college, we had a number of Canadian students. They expressed to me a certain irritation, and surprise, that Americans know so little of Canada, when Canadians seem to make it a matter of importance to know about us.
So, I developed a fascination with our Great Neighbor to the North.
When the worst President ever took office in January 1977, a few of us in my econ class joked about moving to White Horse and getting as far away from the intrusive reach of the Carter Administration as we could.
In subsequent years, I followed Rene Levesque and Parti Quebecois.
When the shortest serving Prime Minister since Confederation took office, I knew who people were talking about when they mentioned "Joe Who?"
Shoot, I even represented a Canadian company who was one of Winn-Dixie's creditors when the grocery store chain went into bankruptcy.
Two things occured about the same time. A conservative wind blew in from the Plains of Alberta when Prime Minister Harper formed a minority government.
Almost concurrently, Chicago's answer to C.S. Lewis's White Queen blew into DC, and for a while it looked like it would be "always winter, and never Christmas." (Especially given the Administrations hostility to views of Founding Fathers like John Adams.)
Jimmy Carter quickly moved up from worst to penultimately worst. Things are looking up Jimmy! Eh?
I quickly came to admire Stephen Harper, a man of great Christian faith, whose witness has been borne out in his style of governing - strong yet humble.
And I have yet to hear him apologize for Canada. On the other hand . . . well POTUS is not exactly wired the same way.
Canadians seem to agree with Harper. They gave the Conservatives a decisive majority - one that means less campaigning and more effectiveness.
Harper and crew are doing a great job of getting the (Canadian) Federal government out of the way. Businesses are growing, Canadian exports are up. The Canadian dollar is doing nicely.
When our leader misses the lessons of a socialist history, I like to contrast him to Stephen Harper.
Harper seems to understand what is at stake when it comes to Israel.
I don't seem to recall the Prime Minister of Israel going to Ottawa, and delivering a rebuke to Mr. Harper.
But I do remember former British PM Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy rebuking Prime Minister Harper when Harper wanted to join hands with the Iranians and sing Kum Bah Yah.
No, wait, that was Barack Obama they rebuked after his wanting to "dialogue" with the Iranians bought them enough time to go nuke.
I feel like channeling Lloyd Bentsen -
Mr. President, I know Stephen Harper (at least I feel like I do), Stephen Harper (is like) a friend of mine. Mr. President, you are no Stephen Harper.
Whenever I get that feeling, I remind myself, that he is our President. I am looking forward to the ground breaking of the Barack H. Obama Presidential Library in Oak Grove, Ill - Spring 2013!
Prime Minister, let's meet up for the ground breaking, and then head to Harry Caray's for steaks and beers.
