The difference between reasoned critique and knee-jerk reaction

Remember a couple of years ago when former Liberal Deputy Prime Minister John Manley said that Canadians need to "grow up" as he discussed Canada's perceptions of the US?

This article by Patrick Basham is a look at how Manley's appeal is sadly going unheeded.

An excerpt:

Canadians are perfectly entitled to disagree with President Bush on any issue, as increasing numbers of Americans are want to do. Legitimate complaints, such as those over softwood lumber, are one thing. But incessant finger-in-the-eye poking from Canada's political elite is not only patronizing but also clearly masochistic.

A foreign policy that plays exclusively to domestic ears does considerable, if not yet irreparable, harm to Canada-U.S. relations. The darts directed at Washington are morphing into a political boomerang threatening to damage Canada, herself.

Speaking earlier this year at the Washington-based Canada Institute, Carleton University's Michael Hart underscored the costs associated with America-baiting. According to Mr. Hart, Canada's preference for a multilateralist foreign policy is unrealistic because the urge to differentiate Canadian from American policy leads to policies that are at odds with Canada's national interest.

Under successive Liberal governments, Canada became a nagging liability to American policymakers over everything from Kyoto to the International Criminal Court, from missile defense to military intervention. This approach directly undermines Canadian prosperity because it harms Canada's relationship with the United States.