THE CELLUCCI SYNDROME

The debating season is upon us. Last weekend we saw the first one-on-one
among Liberal leadership candidates, one of whom will become our prime
minister.

Tory leadership hopefuls also trotted out their travelling road show.

These leadership debates are never really that interesting, the "combatants"
all on the same page. After all, there's not much Liberals are going to
fight about among themselves. It's the same with the Tories, and you'll
recall there was no wrestling in the aisles at the recent NDP leadership
convention.

Taking all that with a grain of salt, have you noticed recently that we seem
to have a new opposition leader? No, not Stephen Harper of the Canadian
Alliance.

Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada has many Canadians questioning
how the Americans can keep talking about a good-neighbor policy when at
every turn they are in some way trying to run our country.

We're familiar with the softwood lumber tariffs, and the devastating impact
they've had on our communities. Last week the U.S. also slapped a tariff on
Canadian wheat, replacing Canada as the supplier for the Iraqi market.

We were lectured by Cellucci when our government decided not to participate
in the war in Iraq, even though most of our outdated military equipment was
helping out in Afghanistan.

(Psst! Our Jeep has a flat tire and the rubber band to wind up our
helicopter is broken).

It's not a question of whether Jean Chretien was right or wrong =AD he is
the head of our government. It was the decision of that government not to go
to war. For better or worse, we elected Chretien, not Cellucci.

The latest lecture is about the laws we pass in this country.

Agree or disagree with decriminalization of marijuana, it is a decision of
our elected government that is being made here. For the U.S. to meddle in
the way we govern is an infringement on our sovereignty.

As stupid as many Canadians feel the pot decision is, the U.S. needs to back
off.

If the U.S. does clamp down on the borders to keep the pot pedlars out,
that's something we'll have to live with and blame the Liberals. Then we'll
deal with them at the ballot box.

Cellucci is, after all, a guest in our country. Hopefully he'll start acting
like one.