First Whistle Stop Past on the Post-Presidential Gravy Train: Bush Bids Canada Farewell
by C. L. Cook
 Like the Saint's day, George W. Bush's big day in Calgary came up green, and has gone, leaving participants of both observances feeling a little left-over.
Following the new tradition, Bush is collecting thousands from talks to the industries he supported during his tenure in the White House.
Calgarians protest Bush visit/speech
As Bill Clinton did before him, George W. Bush is making the luncheon
rounds, extolling his virtues to, according to Reuters, 1500 business
types willing to fork over 400 beans for the privilege.
The Associated Press cited attendance at 2,000 diners, paying $3,100 per table to the invitation-only soiree marqueed, 'A Conversation with George W. Bush.'
Either way, event organizers declined to say how much Bush would grab for what he described as just the first of his speaking appearances. Bush reportedly quipped, he needed the money to pay for his new house in Dallas, saying;
"I think I'm the only American to have bought a house in the Fall of 2008."
While the sundry oil executives and their consorts applauded inside, hundreds of Calgarians protested the Canadian government's failure to live up to its international obligation to bar entry into the country of known, or suspected war criminals. Four arrests were reported among the 200-300 strong crowd of placard wavers, many armed with shoes to throw at effigies of the former president. The shoes are in reference to Iraqi journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi who threw his shoes at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad last year.
Canadian jurists' organization, Lawyers Against the War (LAW) petitioned the federal government to forbid Bush's entry into the country last week. Gail Davidson spoke on the Bush appearance on American network television, describing Canada's requirements of law, saying;
"Under Canadian law, anyone suspected of a crime like torture is inadmissible to Canada; and, "suspected" means a little more than a suspicion and less than proof to the balance of probability. So, Mr. Bush is actually admissible to Canada on the grounds of the torture allegations alone."
Davidson cited the failure of the Canadian government to bar entrance to the alleged torturer, and said Mr. Bush's appearance in the country triggers other provisions in the law, also ignored by Stephen Harper's Conservatives;
"Because the crime is torture, it gets a little more complicated under Canadian law, once Mr. Bush crosses the border. Once he crosses the border, Canada has a legal obligation to investigate him for torture, and if there's enough evidence to launch a prosecution then, under the Convention Against Torture, Canada has to either prosecute him, or extradite him to another country that's willing and able to do so."
Among the protesters arrested was well-known Canadian indigenous activist, Splitting the Sky, reportedly taken by Calgary police while trying to explain their duty to arrest Bush under Canadian statute law, and purportedly beaten by them while in custody.
Attendees waiting outside the Telus Convention Centre while intense security checks were conducted were criticised by protesters for supporting Bush's appearance. Speaking for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, one of the event organizers, Heather Douglas said inviting Bush did not mean the Chamber agrees with his political views.
"When you look at a chamber of commerce bringing in a political figure, it's not because they support or oppose that particular person [...] it's because they want to facilitate good dialogue."
Along with more speaking appearances, Bush said he plans to write a book, outlining the 12 most difficult decisions of his presidency, saying he wanted people to understand what it meant to be president.
"I'm going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there's an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened."
For its part, the Canadian government has made no comment.
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