Canadian viewers will recall that U.S. president George W. Bush was one of Rick Mercer’s most famous victims on Talking To Americans. The hugely popular CBC special, spun off from This Hour Has 22 Minutes, first aired in 2001. Mercer, posing as a legitimate CBC reporter, thrust a microphone in front of the campaigning presidential hopeful and relayed greetings from Canadian prime minister “Jean Poutine.” The bit got huge laffs north of the 49th.
If ignorance of Canada helps elect U.S. presidents, look for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to sweep the all-important Iowa presidential election primary on Jan. 3. The Republican front runner in some polls, Huckabee (who was much tubbier back then) was also quizzed by Mercer in that same CBC special:

That’s right, “Congratulations, Canada, on preserving your national igloo.”
Huckabee is also the dude who has secured the best celebrity endorsement ever–no, not from Oprah, silly, from Chuck Norris:

This is no joke–this “Chuck Norris Approved” message is posted right on Huckabee’s campaign web site.
The fear, of course, is that Norris will come north and rip out Mercer’s lungs once Huckabee wins the election. It could happen if anybody from Huckabee’s campaign team can find Canada on a map. Stay in your igloos, Canada, and stop talking to Americans.

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