Canada's Obama Envy (CANADA)

Contrarians and professional curmudgeons, mostly among chronically disgruntled right wingers, harrumph that Barack Obama is a fake, a rock star, an egomaniac, a flaming liberal in designer suits, a danger to traditional values, a wild spender and an overrated politico in every respect.

Happily, most Canadians pay no attention to these clangorous voices. They see the genuine article of Mr. Obama's intelligence that combines the gifts of listening, absorbing and exercising judgment.

So, contrarians and curmudgeons aside, Canadians suffer from Obama envy, with many saying they wish we could swap leaders, sending them Canada's stiff and brittle political commandante for the cool and cerebral American.

Before Canadians sigh too often and deeply for things that cannot be, they might recall that it has not always been this way; indeed, for the past eight years, it manifestly was not this way at all.

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