Chrétien to PM: 'Can I call you Steve, like George W.?'

[comup]

Chrétien to PM: 'Can I call you Steve, like George W.?'

Last Updated: Saturday, December 2, 2006 | 5:39 PM ET

CBC News

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien launched a scathing attack on Stephen Harper Saturday as he took the podium in front of a Liberal audience for the first time in three years.

Chrétien, speaking before results from the fourth and final ballot to determine the party's next leader were announced in Montreal, uncorked arguably the most direct and clever jabs at Harper of the entire convention, in which the Tory prime minister was a popular target.

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks before his first Liberal audience in three years.Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks before his first Liberal audience in three years.

(CBC)

"Stephen, can I call you Steve, like George W.?" he said, garnering a large laugh from the audience of 5,000 Liberal delegates.

"Do not adjust your sets," Chrétien said following the rapturous applause. "What you see is what you get."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JC still got it!

[jbg]

Chrétien to PM: 'Can I call you Steve, like George W.?'

Last Updated: Saturday, December 2, 2006 | 5:39 PM ET

CBC News

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien launched a scathing attack on Stephen Harper Saturday as he took the podium in front of a Liberal audience for the first time in three years.

Chrétien, speaking before results from the fourth and final ballot to determine the party's next leader were announced in Montreal, uncorked arguably the most direct and clever jabs at Harper of the entire convention, in which the Tory prime minister was a popular target.

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks before his first Liberal audience in three years.Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks before his first Liberal audience in three years.

(CBC)

"Stephen, can I call you Steve, like George W.?" he said, garnering a large laugh from the audience of 5,000 Liberal delegates.

"Do not adjust your sets," Chrétien said following the rapturous applause. "What you see is what you get."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JC still got it!

Exactly. Who wants someone that deliberately mangles both official languages?

[margrace]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket, heaven help the country that my ancestors worked so hard to form. He will privitize our health care, he is already dismantling any protection our farmers have.

He will destroy Canada.

[Argus]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket,

This is simple ignorance and bigotry. Liberals have always been jealous of the US, and upset that despite how the Americans do everything Liberals say you shouldn't, their country appears to work better than ours does, and is certainly richer, with a vastly better economy. So Liberals like to insult the Americans, and have become more and more open, of late, about their bigotry towards Americans and the American culture. Any political leader who doesn't openly sneer at the Americans is portrayed as being "in Bush's' pocket" whatever the hell that means.

heaven help the country that my ancestors worked so hard to form. He will privitize our health care, he is already dismantling any protection our farmers have.

He will destroy Canada.

Yeah, okay. Just put that tinfoil cap on a little tighter and it'll protect you from the evil mind rays emenating from the conservatives.

[scribblet]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket, heaven help the country that my ancestors worked so hard to form. He will privitize our health care, he is already dismantling any protection our farmers have.

He will destroy Canada.

ROTFLMAO Maybe you could point out where Harper has said he will privatize health care and which policy that would be etc. etc. I suppose it is better to bet rabidly anti American than to have a good working relationship with our largest trading partner. You also might want to back up that statement with some facts.

booga booga

.

[jdobbin]

Exactly. Who wants someone that deliberately mangles both official languages?

Quite a few people, it seems. How many majorities did he win?

Besides, as you pointed out, the accents were fake and apparently he spoke behind closed doors with a Parisian accent and English accent. He also had lovely handwriting.

[Biblio Bibuli]

"Stephen, can I call you Steve, like George W.?" he said, garnering a large laugh from the audience of 5,000 Liberal delegates.

So Chretien uses a nice nickname for Mr. Bush, "George W", yet laughs at Bush for using a nice nickname for Mr. Harper, "Steve". And 5000 Liberal dunces laugh with him.

ROTFPIMPALMFAO!

[Leafless]

Chrétien to PM: 'Can I call you Steve, like George W.?'

Last Updated: Saturday, December 2, 2006 | 5:39 PM ET

CBC News

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien launched a scathing attack on Stephen Harper Saturday as he took the podium in front of a Liberal audience for the first time in three years.

Chrétien, speaking before results from the fourth and final ballot to determine the party's next leader were announced in Montreal, uncorked arguably the most direct and clever jabs at Harper of the entire convention, in which the Tory prime minister was a popular target.

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks before his first Liberal audience in three years.Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks before his first Liberal audience in three years.

(CBC)

"Stephen, can I call you Steve, like George W.?" he said, garnering a large laugh from the audience of 5,000 Liberal delegates.

"Do not adjust your sets," Chrétien said following the rapturous applause. "What you see is what you get."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JC still got it!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-GOT WHAT???

Don't be such a FOOL!

Why don't you read about the LITTLE GUY CHRETIEN including his LEGACY, KYOTO and THE HIRING OF QUEBECER STEPHANE DION AND GIVING HIM A NON-ELECTED SEAT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

LOOK UP CORRUPTION IN THE DICTIONARY AND YOU PROBABLY SEE A PICTURE OF MR. CHRETIEN.

http://www.primetimecrime.com/contributing...0050120Gray.htm

[jbg]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket, heaven help the country that my ancestors worked so hard to form. He will privitize our health care, he is already dismantling any protection our farmers have.

He will destroy Canada.

Oh yes. Canada was really a country built by the government. </ sarcasm>

Were your ancestors government social engineers working on official bi-lingualism and multi-culturalism? I doubt very much that you hard-working ancestors were organizing gay pride parades for lesbian or gay Pushtan tribe members.

[geoffrey]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket, heaven help the country that my ancestors worked so hard to form. He will privitize our health care, he is already dismantling any protection our farmers have.

He will destroy Canada.

Well, if Harper is in GWB's pocket, then the Liberals must be sleeping with the Democrats everynight! Al Gore is featured promenently on their website (even some Dems think he nuts) and the leader of the Dems right now is their hero and the only relevant voice they could find to speak at their convention.

Ho hum.

[jbg]

So Liberals like to insult the Americans, and have become more and more open, of late, about their bigotry towards Americans and the American culture. Any political leader who doesn't openly sneer at the Americans is portrayed as being "in Bush's' pocket" whatever the hell that means.

Not bigoted enough to prevent Howard "The Scream" Dean from addressing the Leadership Convention or putting a professor who almost forgot where Canada was "à l’exécutif national et aux commissions du Parti libéral du Canada", obviously.

[Canadian Blue]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket, heaven help the country that my ancestors worked so hard to form. He will privitize our health care, he is already dismantling any protection our farmers have.

He will destroy Canada.

My ancestors settled in an area and helped build this country for over a century, and apparently many of them believe the people who are ruining what they built are the Liberal's. As for the protection of our farmers, farmers in Eastern Canada have choice when it comes to the CWB, in western Canada if you don't go through the CWB you go to jail. Sounds fair eh!!!

[gerryhatrick]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket,

This is simple ignorance and bigotry. Liberals have always been jealous of the US, and upset that despite how the Americans do everything Liberals say you shouldn't, their country appears to work better than ours does, and is certainly richer, with a vastly better economy.

No, not ignorance and certainly not bigotry. What is being said is that Harper is governing very much like Bush, and his policies and attitudes are very similar.

Bigotry? That doesn't even make sense.

As for the idea that Liberals are "jealous" of the US, that's complete nonsense. Liberals have been critical of the Bush administration. For that they've been called "anti American", which has been proven wrong since Bush is now rejected by a wide majority of Americans.

[gerryhatrick]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JC still got it!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-GOT WHAT???

Don't be such a FOOL!

Name calling is a nice way to welcome a new poster!

The sentiment he expressed is correct, the speach was classic Chretien. He took some slick and funny shots at Harper. That is the "it" that he still has.

Yep, it was a very good speach.

[August1991]

Yep, it was a very good speach.

It was a great speech reflecting on his success as PM.

But he failed to say that he almost lost the 1995 referendum for the federal cause, he didn't say anything about his decision to shovel taxpayers' money to Montreal ad firms (who then conveniently made generous contributions) and he said absolutely nothing about how he destroyed the political career of his successor.

It was telling that he stood on the opposite end of the stage to Martin. While Martin said nice things about Chretien, Chretien said at most that Martin was a good finance minister.

Chretien did tremendous damage to the federal Liberal Party and to the federal cause in Quebec. Gerry, if you want to call it a great speech, go ahead.

[jdobbin]

My ancestors settled in an area and helped build this country for over a century, and apparently many of them believe the people who are ruining what they built are the Liberal's. As for the protection of our farmers, farmers in Eastern Canada have choice when it comes to the CWB, in western Canada if you don't go through the CWB you go to jail. Sounds fair eh!!!

If you don't contribute to CPP in your paycheck, you go to jail too.

[Leafless]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! JC still got it!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-GOT WHAT???

Don't be such a FOOL!

Name calling is a nice way to welcome a new poster!

The sentiment he expressed is correct, the speach was classic Chretien. He took some slick and funny shots at Harper. That is the "it" that he still has.

Yep, it was a very good speach.

Very good "speach".

You are probably confused and are really thinking of 'impeach' which is the route a lot of Canadians feel should have been taken against Mr. Chretien.

[uOttawaMan]

Wait wait... who cares what this has-been has to say?

"LOL HE MADE A FUNNY ROFLRORLFOF"

[fellowtraveller]

In 50 years the historians will have placed Chretien at or near the top of the list of Worst Prime Ministers of Canada.

His speech just confirmed that he is no statesman, accepts no responsibility for his role in the demolition of his own party, bears grudges against Martin, and brands him as a sarcastic asshole as a little bonus.

Nothing new, really.

[Cameron]

Follow your leader Gerry...go on....

Greg, you need to add a sheep smiley....

Well, it looks like the Liberals are back to square one. All that money and time wasted and they didn't even get a new car.

[Rue]

Chretien has spent his career with speeches playing the jokester. This latest comment is just par for the course. Jean Chretien being funny. But it like him has no substance. Chretien towards the end of his career adapted the French foreign policy towards the Middle East and the United States. He promoted an anti-American mentality. This is a man who was far closer to Bill Clinton then Harper has ever been with Bush. Who is kidding who. This man fawned all over Bill Clinton and made a point of telling the world how close they were in beliefs and in friendship. So come on. To take his comments seriously misses the point-that he is a has been and was playing the fool to entertain which is what he always did and will do.

I mean for this man to take a shot at Harper for restoring relations with the U.S. is laughable. This is a man whose concept of foreign policy was taking junkets to countries with patronage friends .

In case you didn't notice Chretien's machine was behind Rae who was clearly defeated. The other remaining inside Liberals for Iggy and he was soundly defeated. Liberals revolted against the Chretien machine and the other insider Liberals. So Chretien can play the bafoon all he wants but the point is

he was a light-eight in office who left no lasting legacy and will never be remembered in history for having done anything. He can laugh all he wants but when he went running to China like a step and fetch it boy begging for contracts-he demonstrated what he is a lacky bafoon. At least Harper had the guts to bring up China's human rights violations, clearly putting him in a far different position then the U.S. Chretien on the other hand by running to China to suck up, was in fact more guilty of following the kind of U.S. foreign policy we Canadians question. Bottom line is-the old boot should just shut up and beat it.

[Argus]

Chretien is right, Harper is in George W's pocket,

This is simple ignorance and bigotry. Liberals have always been jealous of the US, and upset that despite how the Americans do everything Liberals say you shouldn't, their country appears to work better than ours does, and is certainly richer, with a vastly better economy.

No, not ignorance and certainly not bigotry. What is being said is that Harper is governing very much like Bush, and his policies and attitudes are very similar.

How? Because, like any conservative, he supports the military, strong policing, anti-terrorism, and is against government waste?

Bush, btw, is not really a conservative of any kind.

Bigotry? That doesn't even make sense.

I'm going to bet that in a few months Ignatieff does an interview in which he decries the deep bigotry and anti-Americanism he saw from the Liberal party similar to the statements made by Allan Gotlieb in his book, about Canada's foreign affairs department. The squishy, bleeding heart liberal looks askance at American culture, American's love of guns, American fast foods, Hollywood, capitalism, and everything else. They presume to a higher sense of morality, and sneer at Americans as classless, ignorant and uneducated. I see it constantly, and if that's not bigotry I don't know what is.

[Slavik44]

In all honesty I think Chretiens "it" was a weak opposition. Alot of people say a great person is made by a great enemy/competitor and he had none.

Chretien's speech shows exactly why he won majority after majority, because 9 times out of ten, chretien can beat his imaginary friend in a debate. If there was a legitimate, national alternative, with a good leader...Chretien wouldn't have gotten the majorities he did. He was able to pull it off, because he could brag about everything people thought he was doing. A good national opposition could have called him out on it.

The Reform were a legitimate western opposition to Chretien and they destroyed him

The Bloc were a legitimate Quebec opposition to Chretien and they defeated him

The Tories still maintained some legitimacy in Atlantic Canada in 97 the tories did better then Chretien, and in 00 Chretien did better then Tories...certainly not an epic victory.

Chretien won in areas where he had no opposition, with Ontario voters and Quebec Federalist Voters....outside of those two groups he had very little. Chretien was succesfully defeated or staved off in every region of the country where there was opposition. That is not the makings of a great leader. Because where there was opposition, calling him out and challanging him, he did poorly. His speech is classic Chretien, in that its alot of hot air and no one around to dump a bucket of ice water on it, so he gets away with it.

[Wilber]

Every time the Liberals trot Chretien out it reminds Canada of Shawinigate, Sponsorgate, HRDC, Public Works and all the other shady deals going on in the PMO. Not to mention bringing our relations with the US to a new low, Peppergate at APEC and almost blowing the last referendum. They should drag him out more often.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I think it is high time that Canadians recognize that Quebec has produced far more able politicians than anybody else in this country. The reason for that is simply that their cultural origins put far more emotion into politics than ours did, consequently they are better at playing upon peoples emotions. Emotional politics are not exactly inclusive but they are very powerful.

Lets see; Trudeau, Turner, Mulroney, Chretien and Martin all came from Quebec. Hmmmm.......