It's Too Bad That Black And O'Leary Don't Have Medical Degrees.

One may not entirely agree with much of what they represent. However, when push comes to shove regarding the Trump Administration's trade policy, we can likely count on them to be more than nominally Canadian. For his part, Black would have made a great diplomat, what with his polished reserve and skilled biting hand capable of ramming home a point in deadly prose while wearing a velvet glove. O'Leary, not so much. He is who he is, but at least down in his bones, his Canadian identity lies somewhat dormant but nonetheless not entirely extinct.

But back to the main point:  it takes an exceeding level of personal skill to be able to talk down and reason with the demented, paranoid, and delusional. In short, the above, truly personified by Trump. Again, it's a crying shame that my designated main actors don't have medical training: that would have given them an edge in dealing with a specimen that is obviously unhinged and serially prone to falsehoods and other assorted deceptions, not to mention ever-present gaslighting.

If my name were Carney, both would have been drafted on the trade advisory committee. It might have come off as controversial, but it would have been debate-wise loads of fun. Hardly a Canadian Fifth Column. More like sympathetic fellow travellers, as it were, charged with a great national endeavour.