Crossposted at my blog

Great story in the aftermath of Lloyd Axworthy's open letter to Condi...other Canadians are jumping on board now. Hopefully some more officials will see the light and stand up to Bushco.

Crossposted at my blog

Earlier this week Canada opted out of the missile defense program and concern rapidly spread that our erstwhile allies would retaliate. Already, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has cancelled a state trip to Canada. Tonight, another blatantly anti-Canadian action was taken south of the border; is this the second wave in a petty game of international payback?

Crossposted at my blog

For months, Stephen Harper has stood atop his soap box screaming to anyone who would listen about the slippery slope involved in legalizing gay marriage. The Conservative leader claimed a slew of undesirable events would occur as a result of same sex marriage. Supporters of equal rights across the country have scoffed at the suggestion, but today the Young Liberals decided to prove Harper right.

As most Kos readers have probably noticed, there are a lot of Canadians who post here. A large part of the reason for that is the fact there is no central focus for Canadian blogs, there is no equivalent of Kos or Atrios or America Blog. Instead, there are dozens of little blogs about politics in a country with a population of thirty million. In short, we have no central hub, no real focus of Canadian blogs and thus Canadian blogs don't have anything even close to the influence or respect of our American counterparts.

We want to change that...

Cross posted at my blog

In the aftermath of Paul Martin's refusal to participate in missile defense, critics of the Canadian left have suggested the decision is emblematic of a knee-jerk rejection against all things American. While it may be politically beneficial for conservatives to make that claim, it's far from true. In truth, the Canadian left's discontent is not with America as a hole, but rather with its current neoconservative leadership. Far from growing further apart, Canada and the 'Blue' States are developing an ever closer relationship.

Cross posted at My Blog and at BlogsCanada.

It looks like Canada has signed on to Bush's missile defense program. I won't repost the entire entry, as it contains too many references to Canadian politics and news which might not be interesting to Kossacks, but suffice it to say Canadians are right pissed.

This blog normally deals solely with American politics, but occasionally international issues arise that are so important they must be addressed here. This coming week, the Canadian government will table legislation to legalize same-sex marriage thorughout the country. Initially thought to be certain to pass, the Conservative party (our Republicans) have joined forces with others (incuding American religious leaders) to oppose it. While the government believes the legislation will pass, the opposition is not going down without a fight. This diary is cross posted on my blog and blogscanada. This diary deals largely with Canadian politics, so some of the terms might be a little foreign, but the ideas are the same.

While it's not exactly getting major press attention, today marked the final hurdle passed preventing dozens of countries from starting a trade war with the United States. Canada's Trade Minister announced today that his nation was ready to start a trade war if the US does not repeal an illegal law. Canada has threatened to play counter tariffs on many American goods, including paper products, at 72% of the total tariffs imposed by the US. Canada is not alone in being given permission to retaliate. The European Union, Japan, India, Chile, Brazil and South Korea are all able to join Canada in placing tariffs on American goods at the same level.

The implications for the American economy could be disastrous...

Right now, most discussion of our next Presidential candidate completely ignores the possiblity of John Kerry being the nominee again. However, are we arguing with our brains or with our hearts?

I don't want Kerry to be the nominee again and think we can do significantly better this time around. However, other candidates may be working from behind against a renewed Kerry campaign. The fact of the matter is that all indications are that Kerry has not been disheartened by his defeat, but rather fired up. Cameron Kerry has suggested that an '08 campaign is certainly `in the cards' and given the fact that John Kerry has dreamt of being President for decades I don't think it's a stretch to assume that he wants to run again.

In the aftermath of this election there seems to be a movement towards a grand re-examination of the party's ideals. Individuals have claimed that looking ahead to '06 or '08 is meaningless unless the party manages to redefine itself. While a re-evaluation of the fundamental doctrine of the party may (or may not) be warranted, the simple fact is that we ignore '06 at our own peril. The Republicans already lead in the Senate 55-44-1 and will be in no danger of losing that majority. There are seventeen Democratic seats, fifteen Republican and Jeffords' up  for re-election in '06. The next Republican goal is the `super-majority' of a 60-40 split. Should the GOP reach that `filibuster-proof' number, the nation would be in great danger. Imagine what Bush might choose to do with such a majority and no concern about ever having to run for office again. As such, the midterm elections are paramount and we must be focused on them, even as we undertake a re-examination of the party's ideals. Here's a detailed look at the Senate races we'll be paying attention to over the next two years (in order of importance / intensity / chance of `flip'):

The possibility of fraud in North Carolina has been a huge issue on left wing sites for the last twenty-four hours or so.

Here's the original diary on the issue, and the thread over at DU.

Unfortunately, the initial diary has become a source of contention. There are now close to 400 responses and keeping track of the discussion has grown rather difficult. This here will be an update of the discussion for viewing simplicity.