2012 U.S. Presidential Election

[kurai]

I already answered you, this does not exist in a bubble, the route to China and the route to the U.S. does not cost the same or face the same difficulties. The route going to China not only causes Harper to pay a steeper political price, but also takes longer to complete. Thus why it was considered a bluff. How ever apparently Harper sees Obama's actions a slight to Canada by his comment ( “Look, the very fact that a ‘no’ could even be said underscores to our country that we must diversify our energy export markets,” ).

Not everything is about profit, especially when it comes to the economic and political hurdles that Harper has to go through to have the oil pipeline go completely through Canada and not through the U.S.

And I will remind you, that Canada did not meet with China for plans on shipping oil to their country, until the Keystone Pipeline stalled.

total gibberish

you have even cited an example of a west coast pipeline yourself, the proposal for which originates 7 years ago. but yes, surely "Canada did not meet with China for plans on shipping oil to their country" even though that initial agreement was struck in 2005... the same year in which keystone xl was first proposed.

and harper is the one bluffing? he was not even prime minister when this 2005 agreement went through - and there is no "political price" to be paid, given his majority control of the government. the only avenue for challenging progress on this proposal would be on a constitutional basis... and that is not a challenge to harper at all (that is not how canadian politics work - he is untouchable until 2015).

you cite "the economic and political hurdles that Harper has to go through to have the oil pipeline go completely through Canada and not through the U.S." - but the hurdles are actually the exact same in both instances. the entire reason that "harper" is involved is that the federal government is guaranteed constitutional oversight of interprovincial and international undertakings. this oversight serves as the basis for the negotiated development of privately owned infrastructure - this is where the profit motive comes in.

FYI by putting it on the market it would help oil prices, unlike China which would probably keep it for themselves.

you are suggesting that china is somehow able to "exist in a bubble"

how curious

(chinese oil imports also are a part of global supply and demand - your suggestion is ridiculous)

If they intended to sell it to China all along, why did it take for the pipeline to stall before they even began to talk with China?

factually incorrect

the government stance is always to allow the development of private industry to maximize private returns

the easier path might have been keystone xl but it was not the only one pursued
and it never was going to be the sole export strategy