New U.S. envoy should heed Andrew Cohen’s advice
Re: A U.S. ambassador’s quick guide to Canada, Aug. 9.
How can we ensure Kelly Knight Craft, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Canada, reads Andrew Cohen’s letter? At a minimum, it is masterful outreach. It is a detailed, nuanced and perfectly balanced missive that is generously instructive and respectively cautionary.
Well done and thank you, Mr. Cohen. Al Wilkinson, Ottawa
Tough act for the new U.S. ambassador
Andrew Cohen does not stumble in his sound advice to the new U.S. ambassador, although I foresee her stumbling over her role serving President Donald Trump, an extremely challenging appointment. She will have a tough balancing act. Jagjeet Sharma, Ottawa
Headline skewed Cohen’s sentiments
Andrew Cohen’s letter to incoming U.S. Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft was a comprehensive canvass of the current state of the Canada-U.S. relationship. I have no doubt she will appreciate its succinct distillation of Canada’s perspective on bilateral issues.
Unfortunately, it appears that an editor has put words in Cohen’s mouth. Nowhere does he make any reference to that most Canadian of aspirations: “We hope you like us.” I suspect Cohen, who makes reference to the fact that the Americans “don’t even think about us,” don’t really care if the incumbent ambassador “likes us.”
He suggests she should understand us, respect our beliefs and tolerate our smugness. She should pick an issue, and open her mind and her heart. But, to Cohen’s credit, there’s nothing in there about “liking us.” Michael O’Reilly, Constance Bay
Maybe Trump simply misspoke Re: ‘Sleep well’: Trump team seeks to de-escalate the boss’s nuclear threat, Aug. 9.
When I first heard about Donald Trump’s “fire and fury” comment, I assumed he was referring to what would happen if North Korea actually attacked the United States or one of its allies and was not simply made as a threat against them. I still think that is what he intended to say.
There is a difference between what happens when a politician misspeaks, for example when he doesn’t listen carefully enough to the question being asked or gives a grammatically imprecise or sloppy answer — which Trump is certainly capable of — and when he genuinely changes his mind.
An example of the latter is Trump’s statement about moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
In the “fire and fury” comment, I believe that Trump genuinely misspoke and said more than he intended. It was an example of intellectual sloppiness rather than an intentional bluff. Bruce Couchman, Ottawa