Pre-Election Posturing On Softwood?

It depends on where you get your news.
Check out these two versions of the same report by Andrew Panetta of Canadian Press.

As it appears in the National Post;
BUSAN, South Korea (CP) – Prime Minister Paul Martin used an international summit to lecture U.S. President George W. Bush over softwood lumber and castigate American protectionism as a threat to global trade.
The softwood scolding was as choreographed as it was public, delivered in a private chat with Bush, repeated in a four-country leaders’ meeting, then rehashed for reporters in both of Canada’s official languages at the 21-country Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.
Martin warned that U.S. tariffs on lumber will give pause to smaller countries considering trade deals with Washington and stall globalization talks.
The leaders of Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Peru were discussing building a Free Trade Area of the Americas and knocking down barriers at the World Trade Organization when the prime minister interjected with a message to Bush.
“I told him, ‘The problem you Americans have is if you can’t agree with your best ally – Canada – and you have the same problem with Mexico, how are you going to convince the rest of Latin America that it’s a good idea?’ ” Martin later recalled.
“Look, if the higher good of the United States is to have a free trade agreement of the Americas or free trade here (in the Pacific Rim) people are going to look askance if those agreements – once signed – are not honoured.”
He cast the warning in the starkest possible terms: that softwood-style protectionism from the U.S. could actually halt the globalization movement.
“We’re not going to have free trade of the Americas if that’s the precedent that’s been established, we’re not going to have free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific if that’s what occurs. Nor indeed are we going to have a successful WTO round.”
At the meeting, Martin also raised climate change and drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, two areas where he and Bush disagree. He made a point of twice noting during a press conference that he and Bush disagree over global warming.

A toned-down version Ottawa Citizen – it excludes mention of Martins “choreography”
BUSAN, South Korea�– Prime Minister Paul Martin used an international summit to lecture U.S. President George W. Bush about protectionism on softwood lumber Friday, labelling it a threat to global free trade.
In a four-country leaders’ meeting during the Asia-Pacific summit, Martin told Bush that U.S. tariffs on lumber send a warning to smaller countries considering trade deals with Washington. Martin intervened as the leaders of Canada, U.S., Mexico and Peru discussed building a Free Trade Area of the Americas and knocking down trade barriers at the World Trade Organization.
He argued that American behaviour in the softwood dispute runs contrary to its goal of liberalized trade.
“Look, if the higher good of the United States is to have a free trade agreement of the Americas or free trade here (in the Pacific Rim) people are going to look askance if those agreements – once signed – are not honoured,” is how Martin summed up his message.
“I told him, ‘The problem you Americans have is if you can’t agree with your best ally – Canada – and you have the same problem with Mexico, how are you going to convince the rest of Latin America that it’s a good idea?’ ”
He said U.S. softwood tariffs violate the spirit of free trade and leaders will be leery of liberalized trade if the Americans don’t honour the agreements they already have.
“We’re not going to have free trade of the Americas if that’s the precedent that’s been established, we’re not going to have free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific if that’s what occurs. Nor indeed are we going to have a successful WTO round.”
At the meeting, Martin also raised climate change and drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, two areas where he and Bush disagree. He made a point of twice noting during a press conference that he and Bush disagree over global warming.

The rest appears to be worded identically. So, who made the changes and why?
And isn’t this trade diplomacy at its finest? By using softwood to castigate Bush publicly for the purpose of pre-election posturing at home Martin is certain to move the issue forward with the administration – right into the “round file”.
Odd timing, this escalation of rhetoric – except when you consider that Martin has more to gain politically in milking this dispute for the anti-American vote, than he does from negotiating a settlement.