What about those with only three fingers?

President Bush tried on Tuesday to repair U.S.-Canada relations strained by years of bickering over trade and Iraq, although he stood by policies that have irritated Canadians.

He did promise Prime Minister Paul Martin to work toward easing a U.S. ban on Canadian beef.

Even as thousands of Canadian protesters thronged the streets to protest his visit, Bush brushed aside suggestions that his decisions had damaged U.S.-Canada ties. Asked about polls that show Canadian opposition to his policies runs high, Bush pointed to his own re-election this month as the survey that mattered.

“We just had a poll in our country when people decided that the foreign policy of the Bush administration ought to stay in place for four more years,” Bush said at a joint news conference with Martin.

“I made some decisions, obviously, that some in Canada didn’t agree with, like, for example, removing Saddam Hussein and enforcing the demands of the United Nations Security Council,” Bush said.

While he acknowledged no mistakes, Bush joked about his reception here.

“I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave, with all five fingers, for their hospitality,” he said.

All five fingers? I doubt that would have been Stageleft. Of course, I saw no mention of the #mixedwingnuts logo either. Hmmm.