A couple of ideas

from an admitted layman.

To Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada: You might want to send help now. "Standing by", offering official sympathies (mentioned as an aside during an already-scheduled telephone exchange about softwood lumber), and leaving the deputy PM to do most of the work aren't all that, well, statesmanlike. Really rather underwhelming and makes one understand why we just got our wrists slapped over the lumber business, and why mad cow is still such a delicate issue. We might also want to remind the Americans about our little rule (they have to ask first, like playing "Mother May I") to authorize DART, so we can send the team sooner rather than later, as happened after the tsunami. Interesting that British Columbia has responded before the federal government.

To President George Bush: Psssst. You could get out of Iraq and save face by recalling the Army and putting them to work cleaning up and rebuilding New Orleans, Biloxi, and the rest of the Gulf coast. Just think about it....