Bush Visit Raises Thorny Issues

In all likelihood, the three leaders will make an announcement about better preparations in the likelihood of a widely predicted avianflu pandemic. According to briefings from the White House and Prime Minister's Office, they'll also chat about climate change, lead-painted toys from China, border and security issues, trade, Afghanistan, the North Pole and a host of other issues. What has protesters and critics from the left and right ends of the political spectrum in a tizzy is a two-year-old agreement between the three nations called the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). Established in Waco, Texas, under Bush, former prime minister Paul Martin and Mexico's past president Vicente Fox in 2005, the partnership was devised as a way to find better ways to ease trade concerns such as clogged border crossings while appeasing American security jitters in the post 9-11 world. But in the past two years it has fallen under the same shadow of criticism as larger international gatherings such as the G8... [Snip] ...Another hurdle toward meaningful progress in Montebello is Bush's waning power as a president headed for the White House exit. In the words of University of Toronto political economy professor Stephen Clarkson, it will be tough for Harper and Calderon to extract many gains in talks with an American president losing political steam. "It's a big issue because Washington is more or less paralyzed," Clarkson says. "With Bush doing so badly in the opinion polls and losing control over the Republicans, it makes him more and more impotent." One thing the protesters can cheer about come Tuesday: It's likely Bush's last presidential visit to Canada. full original article: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/08/18/4427369-sun.html

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