A CANADIAN EXCORIATES CANADA...AMONG OTHERS

...Military casualties: 311 dead Americans.

Democracy in a Middle Eastern Arab state: Priceless.

What Canada contributed to ousting Saddam Hussein and waging the war to set the stage for a modern renaissance of Iraq: Zero.

Yet, after putting precious little into Iraq, we have the nerve to whinge about not being allowed to take a profit out of it...

The award for gracelessness, however, goes to French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, who observed following news of Saddam's arrest that "the international community should congratulate itself.''

The hypocrisy is staggering...

There's only one Switzerland. In real geopolitics, governments have to pick sides. And ours did. We sided with those who did their utmost to retain the status quo in Iraq, many of these European countries already signatories to industrial deals with the Baathists, deals that have now collapsed with billions owed...

There are no political ingénues in Ottawa. We fully understand where political alliance and financial profits converge. We knew, nine months ago, where our "principles'' would take us when the war was won and the process of reconstruction began. Since the war formally ended — although, clearly, it's still being fought on the ground in Iraq — Canada has declined to send peacemaking troops. Not that we have the manpower do so anyway.

I suspect, in the end, some kind of profitability accommodation, by way of sub-contracts, will be formulated to quiet Canadian caterwauling, particularly as Prime Minister Paul Martin attempts to repair the frayed relationship with Washington.

This will be a concession from the U.S. towards a neighbour and erstwhile ally.

We'll jump at the opportunity. But we are not worthy.