You have to love it when a Canadian official calls our President a moron. It sort of takes one to know one, especially where the Canadian government (not its people) are concerned.
On the other hand our State Department doesn't exactly have a handle on the language.
In Washington, a State Department official whose area of responsibility includes Canada said he hadn't heard about the remark. In any event, he said: "We have no intention of going anywhere near it with a 10-foot pole."
OK...so what do you have an intention of going near it with? A five-foot Japanese?
[SUDDEN THOUGHT: Send that 10-foot Pole to Indianapolis, we can use him on the Pacers.]
One really must love the sheer audacity of a country that keeps electing Jean Chrétien (on purpose) calling out any other country's elected leadership.
What can you expect from a country whose primary export is Canadians? Hell, more Canadians live in Los Angeles than live in Canada.