Iraq: the agony of principal and interest.

Most of us, like countries, manage our lives in some kind of continuum between principals and interests. As a newspaper publisher I am well aware of the stark choices between principal and interest.

As a publisher I earn my living selling ads. As a publisher I also earn my reputation with readers by being trusted and uncompromising.

Occasionally, advertisers will withdraw support from a publication if they disagree with some of the words, even when the independence of the words makes for a trusted, compelling and respected newspaper.

It is not surprising then that people and countries that have little or nothing to lose wrap themselves in principal.

On the other hand, when they have a lot to lose they often either forget old principals and find new ones, or spend so much time contorting and diluting the expression of their principals it is embarrassing to all.

There is great anxiety in our nation about supporting or not supporting the United States' invasion of Iraq.

We have a lot at stake. In Northern Ontario we export much to the United States and when we are not exporting we are exhorting our neighbours to spend money at our hunt camps and tourist operations.

We have lots of good reasons to be very careful how we manage our principals and interests.

That said, watching the Liberals insult America (from moron remarks out of the PM's office to the words "I hate the bastards" from Carolyn Parrish) is painful.

The first law of parenting is to reject the behaviour, not your child. The child needs to know simultaneously, it is inappropriate to throw your entire meal against the wall, but that they are loved regardless of their temper tantrum.

This is easier said than done when it comes to war and nations. Men and women are dying on both sides of this war.

As any regular reader of this column will know, I am appalled by this war on both humanitarian grounds and military ones. The arrogance and hubris has been incomprehensible.

Last month I said to win is to lose. What is clear today is that, to lose is worse. It is the only thing worse than starting it in the first place.

Canada, without stepping down from the principled position it has taken on the war, needs to find ways to make gestures of solidarity with the American people if not their government.

The American people should know:

* Canada has more military personnel in the field supporting the war against terrorism than 98 per cent of the so-called coalition of the willing, most of whom have sent no troops at all.

* Canada has been at America's side in every conflagration that did not involve invading another country (namely Vietnam and Iraq) in the 20th century.

* In the Second World War we were at war long before they arrived.

* We have sustained friendly fire deaths in defense of their freedom and ours in Afghanistan.

* We stand ready to do our part in a post war reconstruction.

We owe no apology for holding a contrary view to the United States on this war, but we must discipline ourselves to differentiate between loathing an administration and loathing a people. I have been in the publishing business in Manchester, New Hampshire for 15 years.

Last week I sold the magazine on day five of the war. The sale had nothing to do with the war. At the closing of the transaction, with the usual assortment of lawyers and hangers on, I was asked about the booing of the American national anthem at the Montreal Canadiens hockey game. Everybody knew about it. Luckily I had been to the Toronto Maple Leaf game a couple of days earlier where the anthem was cheered.

But let us not kid ourselves. Those incidents will be remembered. It is just the way it is. We are too small to matter except on TV.

What Americans do not realize yet is that they are in big trouble. They are squandering their power both military and morally. The administration has blundered. They are going to need all the friends they have, including us. We can not live off their trade and ignore their interests or the hubris will be ours. Principals and interest.

It never goes away.

The question is what to do?

Michael Atkins is the president of Northern Ontario Business Ltd.