More missile defense

I know I said I was done with this topic, but this column is very good, and so I felt I could include it: Don't Blame Canada for Missile-defense Snub.

I agree with most of what O'Hanlon says, but while it's wrong to blame Canada for the situation, it's just as wrong to blame the U.S. for it too. Clearly, there was a breakdown of communication, not only between the two governments, but also between the governments and the people. As he says, there is clearly a confusion over missile defense, especially what the U.S. was asking for from Canada. But it is not only the failure by American diplomats that this confusion exists, but also by Canadian leaders, who never presented the issue to the Canadian public. I don't know if they didn't because they felt that the public wouldn't understand, because they believed they already knew what the public thought on the issue, or what. But the fact remains that they never made the effort, even through the media. If they had agreed to continue to go along, even in part, and made an effort to bring the public on board in some way, then they would have found the support they needed, both in Parliament and among the population.