Premier defends Bush

Ottawa

An aide to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien resigned this week after telling a reporter President Bush was “a moron.” Françoise Ducros, the premier’s spokeswoman, reportedly criticized Bush for soliciting support for war in Iraq during a NATO gathering in Prague. “What a moron,” she said. Opposition leaders lambasted Ducros, and worried aloud that her blunder would worsen already testy relations between the White House and Ottawa. “This is not a silly comment,” said Jason Kenney of the Canadian Alliance. “This is a serious diplomatic faux pas.” Chrétien refused Ducros’ resignation once before accepting it, but stressed that he didn’t share her assessment of Bush. “He is a friend of mine,” said Chrétien. “He is not a moron at all.”