Yesterday, I reported on a desperate Liberal attempt to downplay, and the Canadian media’s attempt to diminish Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to the White House. Because Mr. Harper was greeted by someone other than Barack Obama, this was seen to be a snub.
Today, on the LA Times blog, there’s an interesting account of the meeting between Harper and Obama,
[The] U.S. chief executive granted Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper a coveted media availability in the Oval Office, a privilege not granted to someone as lowly as Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown not so long ago.
That doesn’t sound like the Prime Minister was snubbed.
Let’s look at other world leaders “snubbed” by the White House!
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines snubbed!
Diplomacy bajanxed! Irish PM Brian Cowen was right feckin snubbed!
Iraqi PM Nouri al Maliki snubbed! Shukran for nothing Obama!
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai snubbed from White House shura!
Oy vey! Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu snubbed!
and as I mentioned yesterday…
Obama is such a prat! British Prime Minister Gordon Brown witnesses the piss poor diplomacy at the White House as he was snubbed!
Of course, these world leaders including Stephen Harper weren’t snubbed at the White House.
The Canadian embassy in Washington DC, when contacted for comment explained:
“The White House Chief of Protocol just called the Ambassador (proactively) to say, essentially, ‘this is nonsense’. It’s not the White House practice, under this Administration, for the President to go outside to greet his guests. That’s done by the Protocol Office.”