Bush Bashing continues in Canada

Four months after President George W Bush left office, he's still the #1 most hated man among many on the left. Iraqi war resisters, Ontario Stop the War Coalition, Communist Workers, Steelworkers Union, Socialists, kids wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, the Khadr family - pretty much all of Toronto. And today, Toronto had an opportunity to voice their displeasure at 8 years of Bush policies when he and fellow former president Bill Clinton hit Canada's largest city for a speaking engagement.

Billed as a "moderated conversation", the two former presidents took to the stage at Toronto's Metro Toronto Convention Centre for an event that was closed to traditional media. Bloggers attended, but only if they paid the steep price for the tickets, which ranged from $200 for general admission to $2,500 for a meet-and-greet VIP ticket.

Across the street from the convention hall, in the park adjoining the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) building, barriers were set up for the angry protests the police were told to expect. Though there were no riot squads on the street, there were plenty of police mounted on bikes and horses, plus a human barrier of cops on foot.

What if you threw a protest, and nobody came?

For all the expectation of trouble, the protesters were subdued. For eight years many of these same people had railed against George W. Bush and his so-called illegal war - it appeared today as though their spirit had died. Their arch villain was no longer a man of power - now he is merely a memory from their glorious past of fighting for justice. A civilian, not so different from themselves (or their moms and dads).

The crowd was small. The signs looked fresh, but could easily be recognized as having been used in past anti-American rallies on University Avenue, the location of the American Consulate. They chanted "War resisters in! War criminals out!" alluding to Bush's villainous status as a war criminal in some circles, as well as Canada's reputation as a haven for those who decide not to fight in the U.S. military.

A large mug shot-style poster of Bush was unfurled, and protesters were invited to come forward and hurl shoes at it; a reference to the shoe thrown at Bush by a displeased Iraqi journalist.

The whole event outside the Convention Centre had an air of sadness about it. It would be the last hurrah for many of the Toronto Bush Bashers. He's gone, and they must find a new villain to focus on. Their love for Obama precludes him from the same fate, but for now they have turned their attentions on their own leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A Conservative, Harper is the closest thing they have left to W.

But they're going to need new signage.