Booche Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 Coach's Corner goes to war Cherry, MacLean exchange words on Canada, U.S. and Iraq conflict By Sun Wire Services Don Cherry and Ron MacLean have had their scraps over the years on Coach's Corner during Hockey Night in Canada. But rarely have the popular duo strayed further from the ice rinks than Saturday, when the longtime partners faced off over Canada's role -- or lack thereof -- in the war in Iraq. It was a debate that caused of flood of e-mails and phone calls to CBC headquarters. Here's a transcript of their rather spirited conversation: Don Cherry: Let's see that crowd out there. All right. Now I apologize for what happened. Watch this here (shows Air Canada Centre reaction to U.S. anthem). All right, standing ovation. You think that'll make CNN. I don't think so. The only time it ever makes it is when those jerks down in Quebec boo the national anthem. A lot of Americans are on that team and (it's) very very embarrassing. Ron MacLean: It's good tonight, I heard. Cherry: Good tonight. I went down to watch it -- I just said they had three standing ovations. MacLean: No, but in Montreal I mean. Cherry: Oh sure. Too late. MacLean: Shouldn't we -- oh where do you want to go with this? Cherry: I don't want to go anywhere. MacLean: Everybody'd like to hear what you think about this. Cherry: All right. I want to start off by apologizing to all of my American friends. I feel so bad what has happened. If you watch the news down there, that Crossfire and Hardball or whatever they call it, all they do is talk about those two jerks that called him "moron" and "bastards" and things like that. And this here booing. And I guess there's no comeback that we don't go over there and support them over there. And it's a tough situation when you think God love England, God bless them -- England and Tony Blair ... Australia and we're not there. Fifty years of pride down the drain as far as I'm concerned. But let me ask you one question: If we had a catastrophe up here or God forbid somebody -- who'd be the first ones in line? MacLean: That's the first thing I wouldn't do it on, Don. I wouldn't base it on our security, I wouldn't base it on commerce -- these are our great trading partners -- friendship I understand. But I'll say this about our air force. We're in Afghanistan ... Cherry: Afghanistan? MacLean: Hey it's dangerous. I was with a moving squad and I was ... Cherry: Just a minute. MacLean: The first pilot into Kandahar -- these guys are ... Cherry: Just a minute. Let's lay the cards on the table. The troops went over there because the fighting was going to be in Iraq. Let's get that straight. MacLean: You are absolutely not ... Cherry: Let's get that straight. Yes, sir. MacLean: No Don, that's ridiculous. Cherry: We have a country that has been -- has come to our rescue -- and helped us ... MacLean: That's -- you're selling our soul. Cherry: We're not selling our soul. MacLean: Well maybe. Cherry: These guys are over there, they're over there giving it all. MacLean: Wait a minute. Cherry: We're over there riding their coattails. MacLean: No we're not. Cherry: And when all they needed was a little moral help -- if we didn't want to send anybody at least have some moral help to help them ... MacLean: Well that's where the prime minister got into trouble the day the war broke ... began, when he was trying to back off because he was realized that you want to be a help ... Cherry: You don't know what you're talking about -- Everybody knows what I'm talking about. I'm not getting mad I'm just ... MacLean: It just hurts you to see them go it alone. Cherry: I hate to see them go it alone. MacLean: But what if it's the wrong thing to go? Cherry: Who says it's the wrong thing to go? MacLean: I think it is. Cherry: Well you think it is ... MacLean: Yes, not that that matters ... Cherry: The people that think it is -- like you -- are walking out on the streets with signs. Wait a minute. And the people who think that it's right are over there laying their jobs and their lives on the line. MacLean: That's ridiculous. Cherry: No it's not ridiculous. MacLean: I would go and fight on, you know -- the basic question... Cherry: What are you saying? Why are you saying? Say it. MacLean: Why attack Iraq if Iraq hasn't attacked you or your allies? Cherry: You know that's the same thing as Hitler, Hitler never attacked us ... MacLean: And they voted Churchill out two months after Hitler surrendered ... Cherry: So you're saying if they don't attack us, I've heard that before about the Second World War -- then you're saying that the United States is wrong? MacLean: Well I don't have every bit of information. Cherry: Are you saying they're wrong? MacLean: No, but I understand Prime Minister Chretien's concern about not going in. And I understand it's good to sometimes step back from the herd and -- as a good friend you might say once in a while 'I don't know about this action.' Cherry: So if I ever get into a fight in a bar you'd ... MacLean: I'd be there with you -- that's just what I've been saying. Cherry: If I was wrong, and you'd say 'well he was wrong.' You're with your friends right or wrong. Either you're with us or you're against us. MacLean: And that's why the prime minister got in trouble for trying to back off on the day the war began. Because now he was betwixt and between. And I think as I say Canada is helping the United States. Cherry: How? MacLean: In Afghanistan, our troops are in Bosnia. Don, listen Don. Cherry: Wrong. MacLean: You don't know how -- we don't have enough -- you know our military is underfunded -- America is ... Cherry: There was 40 countries backed the coalition. MacLean: Right. Cherry: And we didn't. MacLean: That's right, and we made a decision so I think you have to stand by it. You're Canadian. And at some point you're Canadian. And I love the Americans and I wish them godspeed of course, and I wish the Iraqis all the best in getting out of this as quickly as possible, but as a Canadian we have to stand for ourselves sometimes. Cherry: You actually are saying you don't back the United States in this war. MacLean: Right. Cherry: In this war. MacLean: Right. Cherry: What more can I say folks. We'll end it right there. MacLean: We do have a couple of minutes, why don't we show -- and you know Don, that's democracy. I've always felt America, I wish they would have, you know they had an awful tragedy of course but they had an opportunity to showcase their appreciation of democracy. But listen to me ... In a democracy you and I can have a difference of opinion. And if I hear things like 'Good vs. Evil' or 'Wrong, right,' 'You're with us or you're against us,' that's not necessarily a democracy -- that's tyranny. Cherry: So you're saying the United States is wrong. MacLean: No, I'm saying it's our right -- our right, Canada's right to make a decision that goes against them. That's all. Cherry: Well if you're against them ... MacLean: I'm not against them, I'm just ... Cherry: You're against them, you said against them. If you're against them then they must be doing something wrong. MacLean: We're not supporting ... We said let's give it more time, we took a tack and now that the war is on ... Cherry: See folks what I have to put up with here. He actually means this, that our best neighbour who's always been there, all the time -- and if we get the chips down, and we get in trouble again, they will be there. And when they needed us, and all they said, all they needed was to say 'We back you.' They didn't want any troops. Just say we back you. When the chips were down we turned our back on them. MacLean: All right, we'll leave it at that. Peter Mansbridge is out there ... Cherry: Oh well, Peter'll tell it, he'll have something to say. He'll be neutral ... MacLean: Don't knock this. That's the thing, don't knock any of this ... Cherry: Come out for it one way or another ... MacLean: I am. Cherry: Don't sit on the fence. MacLean: I am. Cherry: And you're wrong. MacLean: And I'm a Canadian. But you're a Canadian guy. I don't get it. Cherry: I'm a Canadian and I'm with the United States because they're always with us. MacLean: All right. You have ties with the United States and that's your comment. Cherry: Got it. MacLean: And that's the way it should be in our democracy ... Cherry: Anybody who's got a job for me Monday, Ill be happy to ... MacLean: You'll be fine ... Cherry: What? MacLean: You'll be fine. That's good stuff, that's what were all worried about. You know that. Don Cherry, on the Coach's Corner, Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. Cherry: Yeah ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieDon'tSurf Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 i'm pretty pissed that I missed that... either way you look at it, those two are pretty amazing - despite my beliefs, an exchange like that really helps my respect for Cherry - i have become less enamoured with him as of late... MacLean, as usual, shines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 More entertaining than squirrels in my pants. McLean is awesome, and I think Don Cherry has valid arguments, but he's not seeing the whole picture. That's what I like about Canada: everybody has their own opinion, and not a mass rah-rah flag-waving we're#1 brainwashing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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