Harper blows it on Fox News

[CHIMO]

If Prime Minister Stephen Harper was hoping for a repeat of his successful performance on CNN, I suspect that he and his media advisers will be sadly disappointed when the reviews come in. Here's why.

After the Obama meeting, Fareed Zakaria invited Mr. Harper in for an interview on CNN because he wanted Americans to hear views that he largely shares. Notably, he had already written a Newsweek column praising the Canadian banking system. And, as a longstanding critic of the Iraq war, he also wanted to hear Mr. Harper's take on Afghanistan, as President Obama was reflecting on a new approach to that conflict.

Like Mr. Zakaria, Chris Wallace is a significant player in the Washington policy process, and he came well prepared for the interview. The son of CBS' legendary Mike Wallace, he's the most respected of the Fox News personalities and certainly no Rush Limbaugh. But the reality is that he invited Mr. Harper onto his program hoping to serve up some conservative views-even moderately conservative ones--to his largely conservative audience.

One can understand that Mr. Harper would not have wanted to criticize Mr. Obama's domestic policies. One can also understand that he is bound by a parliamentary vote on Afghanistan. What is less understandable is why the Prime Minister and his advisers accepted Mr. Wallace's invitation to appear on his program in the first place.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090329.WBSpector20090329111628/WBStory/WBSpector

And then

Harper has Fox News love-in
WASHINGTON–Prime Minister Stephen Harper basked in praise from Fox News for Canada's better financial system during the first in a series of U.S. media interviews ahead of this week's global economic summit in London.

In his second interview in a month with the conservative news network, Harper trumpeted the more cautious banking regulations north of the border, saying Canada is likely to emerge from the recession as "probably the only truly free-market financial system in the world."

Harper told Fox News interviewer Chris Wallace that despite the downturn, Ottawa will by 2012 put in place "the lowest corporate tax rates in the G7 and that's our government's objective."

Asked whether Ottawa's approach is superior to President Barack Obama's "plan to raise taxes on the wealthy and some businesses," Harper demurred, saying "I'm not going to be drawn into commenting on American domestic policy."
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/610188

So there we have it. MSM can't keep up with Harper and Harper is playing all ends against the middles.