CTV stands by Obama story and names Obama aide who called re: NAFTA [View All]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0208/Talking_to_Canada.html

CTV stood by, but tweaked, its story yesterday, suggesting that an Obama aide had spoken not to the Ambassador but to the Consul in Chicago, and naming the aide, economist Austan Goolsbee.

Both Obama's campaign and the Canadian government continued to deny the substance of the conversation -- the notion that Goolsbee was suggesting that Obama's tough talk on Nafta wasn't entirely heartfelt.

But their blanket denials yesterday seem to have been based on the relative technicality that the conversation was with the Consul, not the Ambassador. I updated my post on the subject yesterday to include this quote from the embassy spokeman, Tristan Landry:

"Canada has diplomatic representatives posted in the US, including Chicago. These representatives are actively talking to decision makers, including those involved in all campaigns, about the whole range of Canada-U.S. issues. Our economic relationship and trade often come up in these meetings but in none of our conversations has any campaign adviser ever signaled that a candidate would say things that they didn't mean or that we should disregard," he said.

(more)

ABC is on this as well:

"ABC News' Jennifer Parker spoke to Goolsbee, a University of Chicago economics professor, Thursday who would not confirm or deny that he had a conversation with Georges Rioux, the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago. Rioux, in meetings this week in Ottawa, would also neither confirm nor deny any conversation took place. Both men did say that they know each other.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/more-on-that-ca.html