TOO COMPASSIONATE:

Canada Can Bid on Next Round of Iraq Contracts, Bush Says (ELISABETH BUMILLER, 1/13/04, NY Times)

President Bush reversed United States policy today and said that Canada would be allowed to bid on some of the $18.6 billion in American-financed Iraqi reconstruction projects, bringing to an end a bitter dispute with a major ally.

Mr. Bush made the announcement with the new Canadian prime minister, Paul Martin, after a breakfast meeting the two held during a conference of 34 leaders from the Western Hemisphere. Late last year, the Bush administration barred companies from nations that opposed the war — including Canada, France, Germany and Russia — from bidding on the lucrative Iraq contracts. [...]

Either way, Canada had already pledged more than $225 million in Iraq aid, including some $80 million at a conference of major Iraq donors in Madrid. Canadian officials were shocked at their treatment and incensed by the Pentagon's explanation in a memorandum that the restrictions were required "for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States."

In the following weeks, Mr. Bush spoke to the outgoing Canadian prime minister, Jean Chrétien and to Mr. Martin on his first day in office. Canada, meanwhile, pledged no new money to Iraq, but it moved rapidly to start projects announced in its aid package, like training 30,000 Iraqi policemen in Jordan.

"What's helpful is that we're getting this done as quickly as possible," said Bernard Etzinger, the spokesman for the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

Canada also has 2,000 troops in Afghanistan and has been commanding the multinational force there since August.

Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said that Mr. Bush made his decision "to recognize the important contributions of Canada and other nations at the Madrid conference in our efforts to help the Iraqis to build a better future for themselves."

Couldn't we have let them twist in the wind just a little longer?

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 13, 2004 07:30 PM