On Teusday Bush said that Canada is eligible for a second round of U.S. financed reconstruction contracts in Iraq. The administration valued those contracts at about $4.5 billion.

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In breakfast meeting Bush told the new Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin of the shift in policy. Martin "understands the stakes" in rebuilding a free and peaceful Iraq, Bush said.

Only not long ago Canada was angered at USA for not letting Canada bid on contract. Canada threatened to stop sending aid to Baghdad.

[Edited on 13-1-2004 by Zion Mainframe]

Canada Rules, I'm glad the US reconsidered. We still lost out on the first round, but second round is still a hell of a lot of money.

I hope that our new PM can continue to foster better foreign relations with the US and others. If his first foreign visit is any indication, the Canadian political climate is definitely on the way up.

A cooperative US/Canada/Mexico would be a very powerful opposition to the Euro.

We're fighting and dying (okay, maybe not so much dying) in Afghanistan, I think this is only fair.

And besides, the best friends you can ask for are friends who don't just automatically go along with you on everything.

The best friends I've ever had were the ones who forced me to think twice sometimes before doing something rash.

And hey, a couple of times it probably saved me from GETTING a rash.

jak