Ladies and gentlemen, behold our new Ambassador to Canada, Kelly Craft.
I think that both sides have their own results, from their studies, and I appreciate and I respect both sides of the science.
She is a “business consultant”, her husband is the CEO of a coal company, and they donated $2 million to the Trump campaign.
I wonder if she thinks her dodge was clever? Because it wasn’t.
I wasn’t expecting much when I heard that she had been appointed, but I was shocked by how quickly she ended up stepping in it. The coverage, and comments, I have seen haven’t been terribly kind.
She could be your regular science denying stooge, but there are a lot of people that just don’t care to follow the science and get their news from their bubble, I can see how ‘both sides of the sciences’ or whatever mumbling word salad she said, can be true fro her. But it’s just ridiculous that any high level government employee in 2017 isn’t familiar with the number one threat to not only our economy and lifestyle, but to our very existence.
‘This is a really big deal’: Canada natural gas emissions far worse than feared:
I’m curious what the would be — even moar methane should be emitted / leaking? (The article notes the value of the escaping methane is around C(?)$350m and could supply all of Alberta’s needs.)
Does the New World have any political interviewers who aren’t feeble, mewling pushovers like this one? I’m trying to imagine how the ambassador would fair against Paxman or Stephen Sackur or Andrew Neill if she said something that banal and unsubstantiated. Is there no culture in the Canadian media of holding politicians to task?
I don’t know why folks are upset. She seems the perfect person to represent 45.
It’s depressing that they don’t even care to be clever anymore. It used to be that conservatives had to work hard on their propaganda to trick citizens into betraying their families and their communities so that corporate thieves could loot the treasury. Now they don’t even bother.
Just like a sack full of wet hammers. Both of ’em. To quote Edward G. Robinson in “Soylent Green”: “My God, how has it come to this?”
Hmmm. I see from wikipedia that she’s been married three times, divorced twice. Another thing she has in common with her boss.
By current Republican standards even saying that the scientific argument is worth “appreciating” makes her unusual.
Giving easy Ambassador positions to top fundraisers is pretty typical for Presidents. I don’t think they’re even really expected to do a lot in a position like Canada, aside from hosting parties and doing ceremonial state functions (the embassy staff does all of it). Oh, and not embarrassing the US, which she’s failed.
Another genius appointed by Trump. I wonder when America will get tired of winning.
“I represent the president of the United States”.
That’s strange, I thought the US ambassador represented the United States.
I feel a little insulted that this numpty is the US representative to us. But on the other hand, I wonder if our ambassadors are wondering how they can take advantage of her.
Jesus wept.
Posttruthinitiative.org
Sydney uni studies truthiness in politics
As long as you can get away with them, dodges don’t have to be clever.
Didn’t realise that Botox affected the brain too.
Science actually has two sides : inside and outside.
Christophe
Good point. She must be outside pissing in…
She really doesn’t know anthropogenic global warming at all.
cartomancer @4: You realize that is a very abbreviated version of the interview, right? I’ve been watching Rosemary Barton (the interviewer) for years, and she is no “feeble, mewling pushover”. Unless by “feeble, mewling pushover” you mean she is not an egotistical obnoxious blowhard like Paxman.
# 4 cartomancer
We Canadians are famous for being polite.
More to the point, this is Ambassador Craft’s “welcome to Canada interview”. I do not know if she has even been to Canada before. At least by Canadian standards, this not the time to expose her to a pit-bull attack. This would apply to pretty well any new ambassador or high commissioner. Heck, we would even be polite to the UK High Commissioner.
More to the point, leaving the ambassador to our largest trading partner feeling mauled in her first week on the job, especial an ambassador who is reported to have close ties to the Great Orange One might not be the best of diplomacy. There is the possibility that the Orange One might independently see a clip the interview even if the Ambassador took the interview in good spirit. You may have noticed that he tends to take remarks personally.
We, Canada, Mexico, USA, are in the midst of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that the Orange Baboon has declared the worst trade deal ever. Things are not going well.
Independently of Mexico, we are involved in a number of vicious trade disputes. Thus the Canadian tradition is, “Do not sandbag the new ambassador before she gives her first diplomatic dinner”.
That said, we don’t have the same “go for the throat” interviewing tradition. Pity.
@ 20 Rob Grigjanis
So that is who she was.
Thanks Rob. I don’t even own a TV so had no idea of who that was.
Question for the Murricans amongst us: Are US diplomats of ambassadorial rank usually career diplomats or political appointees?
jrkrideau #21
Aim higher: Get her boss Bozo Johnson (our Foreign Secretary) to visit, and be so ridiculously polite to him that he suspects you’re all laughing at him. He needs to know that the whole world is laughing at him, not just most of the UK. Canada – do your duty. Her Majesty Expects.
There are two sides to a sea wall, too. As the sea levels rise I wonder which side she would prefer her home to be on?
Yes. Historically (broadly, in modern times, before hair furor) it varied considerably, albeit there was a tendency for less-sensitive posts to be rewards (political appointees) and more-sensitive to be competent (diplomatic experience (not necessarily career diplomats)). Some of the typically-reward countries have, on occasion, complained about the continuing series of (diplomatic-)eejits, occasionally with success (for at least one appointment).
Apologies for the lack of references or specific examples.
blf @ # 26: … lack of references or specific examples.
A particularly fine specimen would be F. D. Roosevelt’s ambassador to The Court of St. James (aka the Brits) as World War II broke out, one Joseph Kennedy, Sr. A major bootlegger who successfully laundered his blood-soaked millions, in part by generous donations to the Democratic Party, ol’ Joe seemed to take great pleasure from informing just about everyone he met that the United Kingdom had no chance against the Third Reich, so they might just as well pack it in and pre-emptively surrender. His Majesty’s Government found that rather unhelpful.
@Pierce #27:
It’s worth mentioning that Kennedy was forced to resign shortly thereafter. And good fucking riddance to him.
I’m starting to think that Trump has a weird obsession with the name Kelly.
which is a just another symptom of it
uncle frogy
Oh sure, she weaseled out of giving a meaningful answer but her ability to speak Canadian far outweighs her stupidity.
Canada is a major climate-denying nation. She’ll fit right in.
She looks familiar. Wasn’t she Miss South Carolina a few years ago?
@numerobis #32: Yes, we have our share of climate deniers. Especially in the oil industry, especially in Alberta, but the winds are currently blowing in our favour. We have a government that is at least tepidly acknowledging the science on the issue and is not actively working against efforts. It’s an improvement over the last bunch.
Canada’s CO2 production is one of the worst, if not the worst, per capita in the world, and we’re working on it. The best hope for us at this point is a rapid drop in fossil fuel demand.