by Adam Aigner-Treworgy
Tue. Jun 24, 2008
Republican presidential candidate John McCain had some observers scratching their heads last week over his decision to head north to Ottawa to deliver remarks on the economy and U.S. trade policy. For his part, Democrat Barack Obama was quick to take up the issue, saying on Friday that it was "interesting" that McCain "chose to talk about trade in Canada instead of in Ohio or Michigan."
"You know, I think Senator McCain should have shared some of his views there to American voters," the Illinois senator said.
So why did McCain go all the way to Ottawa to give a speech on the positive effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement?
In his speech, McCain contended that he had simply gone to thank the people of Canada for their work "to advance one of the finest friendships between any two nations in the world today." Despite flying to Ottawa aboard his campaign plane, accompanied by his campaign staff and with campaign reporters in tow, the Arizona senator argued that his trip was of a purely diplomatic nature, and he refused to publicly address the election while on foreign soil.
McCain spoke to reporters after his speech but balked when a questioner mentioned his Democratic rival.
"This is not a political campaign trip," McCain said, adding that he just wanted to thank Canadians and their government for their "enormous contribution to our friendship, to our relations, to trade, to our economy and to the defense of freedom in the world."
Even when given the chance to criticize Obama for proposing to renegotiate NAFTA, McCain demurred. In an effort to explain his campaign's decision to fund a nonpolitical trip to a foreign capital, the candidate said he "didn't feel it was appropriate for the taxpayers -- while I am the nominee of my party -- to pay for a trip that would have accrued to the cost of the taxpayers."
However, less than two weeks after McCain officially secured enough delegates to claim his party's nomination, he took off on a congressional delegation to the Middle East and Europe, visiting Iraq, Jordan, France and England with two of his biggest supporters, Sens. Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., and Lindsay Graham, R-S.C.
At the time, the McCain campaign was hammered by Democrats for the candidate's participation in a politically beneficial trip on the taxpayers' dime. Campaign officials said they were much more careful on this trip abroad. After a visit to the Economic Club of Toronto, however, McCain held two private meetings with Canadian business leaders in which the candidate's ambassadorial tone gave way to one more familiar from the campaign trail.
First, McCain participated in what the campaign described as a private roundtable with 15 to 20 Canadian business leaders. He then addressed a meeting of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives at the exclusive Rideau Club in downtown Ottawa.
McCain was introduced to the group as the "presidential nominee for the Republican Party of the United States of America," and although he stuck mostly to pleasantries in his brief remarks, he didn't hesitate to slip back into campaign mode when it came time for questions.
When asked about his plan for the American economy, McCain ran off a litany of issues that needed to be addressed, concluding with his campaign slogan: "Restoration of trust and confidence in government is the first step, and that means reform, prosperity and peace."
McCain also outlined his campaign's health care proposal when asked about the large number of children in the U.S. who remain uninsured.
"We need to make [health care] affordable and available, and we need to do that by giving American families a $5,000 refundable tax credit so they can go anyplace in America to get the health insurance of their needs," McCain said.
And in response to a question about repairing the American economy, McCain repeated another familiar line from the trail, saying that as president he would "veto every earmark, porkbarrel bill that comes across my desk, and I'll make 'em famous."
According to Ross Laver, the chief executives council's vice president for policy and communications, his organization is "absolutely nonpartisan," but it does represent business leaders who are heavily invested in an active trading relationship between the U.S. and Canada. Events like the reception with McCain help those members "stay plugged in with what's happening in the world," Laver said, as well as giving members an opportunity to share their views about the future of North American trade.
Such an event, where a presidential candidate is able to discuss his policies with foreign business leaders using political language, could be seen by some as a campaign event, and Federal Election Commission law prohibits the involvement of foreign groups in U.S. campaigns.
Although a spokesperson for the FEC was not allowed to comment on an issue that may come before the commission, FEC rules say, "A foreign national shall not, directly or indirectly, make any expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement in connection with any Federal, State, or local election." That includes foreign associations or partnerships.
Democrats criticized the trip even before McCain had set foot in Canada, and the Democratic National Committe on Friday filed a Freedom of Information Act request concerning the role played by U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins in arranging the visit.
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