As most Torontonians likely know (particularly if they attempted to drive along Front Street yesterday afternoon), former American presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were in town talking to each other, ably facilitated by former New Brunswick premier and Canadian ambassador to the US Frank McKenna.
I've posted a longer report on the talk here, and of course, you can read about it in the MSM too.* In this space, I'll mention only a few highlights.
The first, wearing my Canadian political observer hat, was that mature, statesman-like tone of the discourse. Both men clearly respect the office of the president and the function of American government and service far more than they aspire to score cheap shots. It's a sad statement on our own state of affairs, where I struggle to imagine a thoughtful public exchange such as this between two former Canadian political leaders, never mind ones of such differing worldviews. And even if there were, would anyone pay attention, never mind pay to see it?
The second, wearing my Samara hat, was Clinton's commentary on public service and the need for it to be part of all our lives. I've elaborated on his three points here, but the upshot is this: our world is interdependent and can't escape each other's fate, so we all should do something to improve the world. The internet makes it easier for us all to do our bit to contribute to a larger goal (e.g., we can all help Afghanistan through kiva.org). Finally, there are always gaps that public policy and a vibrant economy won't fill, so all of us need to help them and ourselves with the how. "I try to find people in a how mentality who want to be in the how industry," he said, citing the ultimate failure of Kyoto not as the unwillingness of certain governments, including the US, to sign it, but more of the failure of all but four signatories to actually solve the "how" part and meet their commitments. Naturally, these points were not reflected in any of the media coverage I read.
The third, wearing my policy junkie hat, was McKenna's passionate and deftly-worded question to the former presidents on the need for passports when crossing the Canada/US border for the first time in over 200 years of peaceful co-existence. I was touched by the question and annoyed but not surprised by the answer. Bush claimed his administration had a very different strategy and he had no idea why this happened (those working on border policy since 9/11 may have a slightly different take). Clinton also acknowledged that he, like most Americans, had no idea. His explaination was this, "in an interdependent environment when insecurity goes up, the [need] for control does too" and assured us that we had his attention and he was "going back home" with this. I'm not optimistic.
The fourth, wearing a combination of all aforementioned hats, was Clinton's response when questioned about the Rwandan genocide. "One of the greatest regrets of my presidency," he said. Part description of what happened and why (no White House meeting on it, no clue it would get so bad so fast, hostility in Congress in the wake of Bosnia and Somlia), part explanation of what he's done since to help the country rebuild and part testament to the capacity of the Rwandans to forgive (complete with several moving anecdotes), it was honest, touching and thoughtful.
There were also some funny jokes, where Bush in particular shone. He had a good one about his mother calling Clinton a son, about picking up his dog's droppings (the Star's Rosie DiManno mentions them both in detail here), and another about Laura telling him how dish duty was to be considered "his new domestic policy agenda." He subtly referenced the speaking fees, noting "Clinton and I used to believe in free speech." My favorite from Clinton was his response to a question on Cuba, where he said, "my view is influenced by what the Secretary of State says on the matter." Hopefully he can be similarly influential on the border. We'll see.
* To save you the Googling, here are a few links: the Globe's Ian Brown here, the Star's Rosie DiManno here and the New York Times' here.