American Vice-President, Dick Cheney, is visiting Alberta this September. The visit was announced by Ralph Klein at the Premiers' conference earlier in August. The agenda for the visit is to include a visit to the oil sands and a banquet with conservative think-tank Fraser Institute will be officially announced over the next few weeks. The Sierra Club and Raging Grannies are planning their protests and will announce their plans after Cheney's agenda is released.
Cheney was last in Alberta during the World Petroleum Congress in 2000 as the Halliburton Chief. Since then of course he has become Vice President for two terms and his government has acted on plans developed during Regean's era to start working on pipelines through Afghanistan and securing resources in Iraq, but China's interest in both Iran and Alberta has got the White House's attention.
However, the neo-conservative foreign policy of the US is not single-minded, as many would accuse. Dinner, fishing and hunting with oil executives, politicians, and friends from the Fraser Institute may work in Alberta, where a policy of fear mongering, threats, and ultimatums are more appropriate for Iran. Good to be a Canadian eh!
However, if dealing with the White House is anything like what I have learned from working with other passive aggressive personalities, remember life is great when you are on their good side - even hard work is easy, but boy get on their bad side...
When things are good we might not think about what it is like for the targets of a passive aggressive personality and may forget that we too can become targets of the passive aggressive behavior.
So, what can you do about passive aggressive? How should Canadians treat Cheney and his type?
1. Don't help them to target others. This is their game not yours.
2. Show deference and respect, but don't get personal - don't go to invitation-only dinners, hunting and fishing trips, don't even get in the elevator with them alone - do you want their legacy to become yours? Keep it to business.
3. Succession plan - the passive aggresive's role will change and loyalties evolve and sooner or later they will move on have a plan for when they do
4. Don't give them an exclusive on anything. They need you more than you need them.
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