George W. Bush’s office has announced his first public appearance since January 20, and it’s in the place most people consider to be the Houston of the North — Calgary.
Calgary, and the surrounding province of Alberta, is oil land and politically conservative. Lots of oil execs shuttle back and forth between the two cities.
“Alberta’s a very conservative province and he’s certainly seen as
friendly to the oil industry,” David Taras, a political analyst at
the University of Calgary, told the Calgary Herald. “He’s choosing a safe place to go test his image.”
The reaction of Canada’s prime minister was pretty good:
Asked whether he welcomes Bush’s visit to Calgary, Premier Ed Stelmach’s response was curt before leaving a media conference Thursday.
“He’s a free man, can travel to any country he wants,” the premier said.
Say hello from Texas, W.
— Richard Connelly
This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2009.