In a Democratic debate last week, Mr. Obama said if elected president, he would "use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage" to negotiate better standards in NAFTA.More in The Globe and Mail:
According to the Canadian memo, Mr. Goolsbee "was frank in saying" campaign rhetoric "that may be perceived to be protectionist is more reflective of political manoeuvring than policy."
It also said, though, that Mr. Obama is "in favour of strengthening/clarifying language on labour mobility and the environment and trying to establish these as more 'core' principles" of NAFTA.
In a news conference yesterday, Ms. Clinton said Mr. Obama needs to explain himself ahead of two crucial primaries today in Texas and Ohio.
"I think that after days of denial, the Obama campaign was confronted with a memo of a meeting -- it was my understanding-- in which there was a discussion of NAFTA. And it raises questions about Senator Obama coming to Ohio and giving speeches about NAFTA and having his chief economic advisor tell the Canadian government that it was just political rhetoric," she said.
"I don't think people should come to Ohio and tell the people of Ohio one thing and then have your campaign tell a foreign government something else behind closed doors. That's the kind of difference between talk and action… that I've bee
The CBC reported yesterday that the affair had infuriated Mr. Obama and his senior advisers to the point that it could impair relations between an Obama administration and the Canadian government, quoting an Obama campaign official saying, “Why is Canada meddling in the internal affairs of the United States...Maybe Canadian mining millionaire Frank Giustra's multi-million dollar donation to the Clinton foundation shortly after receiving a uranium concession from Kazakhstan has something to do with it?
Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune is covering the trial of Obama donor Antoin "Tony" Rezko online.
