This just in from MacLeans.ca (crap, I know, but what's a girl to do?):
JONATHON GATEHOUSE
"The two leaders, who appeared relaxed with one another and frequently made eye contact, also agreed to work together on the mad cow issue."
--From a CTV news report on the first Martin/Bush meeting on Jan. 13 in Monterey, Mexico
THE EXPECTATIONS have been set so low that just being together in the same room is now considered an accomplishment. Handshakes and smiles are taken as an indication of warming relations. And the use of given names qualifies as a major diplomatic breakthrough. When Paul Martin and George W. Bush sit down at the White House this week for their first extended summit, Canadians shouldn't hold their breath for significant trade deals, cross-border accords, or even mealy-mouthed memorandums of understanding. With the relationship between Canada and the United States plunging toward a historic nadir, the Prime Minister will be lucky to walk away with a nice photo and a souvenir pen.
I do hope it's one of those pens that you can turn upside down and see the Statue of Liberty's skivies...or does that just exist in my world?