WASHINGTON – In his first foray abroad as commander-in-chief, President Obama flew to Canada yesterday for a quick visit to cement its status as the United States’ biggest trading partner and largest single source of oil imports.
Top on the agenda for Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were free-trade issues, government response to the worldwide recession, energy policy, global warming and the war on terror.
“We’re joined together by the world’s largest trading relationship and countless daily interactions that keep our borders open and secure,” Obama said at a press conference in Ottawa after their working lunch.
The two leaders pledged to cooperate on developing clean-energy technology to benefit both nations.
Obama and Harper also agreed to work together on developing ways to capture and store carbon dioxide to curb global warming.
Acknowledging the steep cost of these initiatives, especially during a severe economic downturn, Obama said: “We can’t afford to tackle these issues in isolation.”
Another area where the two men professed agreement was the war on terror.
“There is no such thing as a threat to the national security of the United States which does not represent a direct threat to this country,” the Canadian PM said.
But that apparently does not alter Canada’s decision to withdraw troops by 2011 from Afghanistan, a central focus of the Obama administration in the United States’ war against terrorism.
Obama said yesterday he did not pick at the difference with Harper.
“I certainly did not press the prime minister on any additional commitments beyond the ones that have already been made,” he said.
On Parliament Hill, more than 3,000 Canadians braved freezing temperatures to catch a glimpse Obama and wave signs reading: “Yes We CANada” and “Yes Oui Can.”
While enthusiasm abroad for Obama burns hot, the president’s popularity at home has cooled a bit.
One month into his term, 60 percent of Americans approve of the job he’s doing, down from 65 three weeks ago, according to a Fox News poll.
His disapproval ratings have risen to 26 percent from 16.
churt@nypost.com