All that's off table is chance to have finger on trigger

[NVMojo]

Thursday, February 24, 2005 - Page A4

WASHINGTON -- The dithering, not the decision, may cause the most lasting damage.

Paul Martin's long-delayed decision to opt out of a continental missile defence shield won't leave Vancouver any more vulnerable to a nuclear-tipped missile from North Korea. The likely fallout will be in Washington, where the Prime Minister's efforts to repair relations and portray himself as a more reliable friend and partner than his predecessor, Jean Chrétien, just suffered a self-inflicted direct hit.

"Americans who watch Canada had higher hopes for Martin," said David Biette, director of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. "Instead, he has really relegated Canada to an irrelevant position."

Official American reaction was muted, with the Bush administration stressing that Canada-U.S. defence co-operation remains strong and that the biggest potential stumbling block on missile defence had been sorted out last summer.


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