It was on this date in 2004 that Prime Minister Paul Martin was in Washington for talks with U.S. President George W. Bush. To mark this anniversary, I invited one of Canada's most respected commentators on politics and public policy, Mr. Martin's former director of communications (and my friend) Scott Reid.Scott and I have worked together – thanks to the unstoppable Scotty Greenwood of the Canadian American Business Council – on the CABC's two editions of With Faith and Goodwill: 150 Years of Canada-US Friendship (our second edition is now out, both published by Dundurn), the CABC's special project to celebrate the Canadian-American relationship through the writings, speeches and pictures of the Prime Ministers and the Presidents dating back to 1867.A political historian of the highest order, Scott and David Herle recently welcomed former BC Premier Christy Clark to their weekly podcast team.  (The Curse of Politics is a great highlight for me each week.)  In his guest column on Art's History today, Scott recalls the moment he had to teach President Bush about the ways of the Canadian media.Over to you Scott.By Scott ReidEighteen years ago, I found myself standing alongside my former boss Prime Minister Paul Martin in the Oval Office, staring at the President of the United States of America. We had met George W. Bush already on a number of occasions but this was Mr. Martin's first official visit to Washington as prime minister.  They were rolling out the VIP treatment with visits to Congress, a luncheon with top-ranking cabinet officers and a lengthy 'bilat' at the White House.But now, as I helped brief the two leaders for a joint media availability in the fabled Rose Garden, we had a problem.  The most powerful man in the world looked agitated.  Worse, the source of his agitation was me.“I thought I was taking just two questions from your guys?”“That's correct, Mr. President.”“Then what will those two questions be?”“Well sir,” I replied steadily, blocking from my mind the fact that I was standing where Lincoln once stood and Nixon once taped. “A range of topics are likely. Softwood lumber will certainly come up. Ballistic Missile Defence. BSE and cattle. You might get climate change.”Again, agitation flashed across his face. “Which two,” he pressed with that distinctive Texas twang.The prime minister shot me a look that said, 'For Pete's sake man, pull yourself together'.Finally, the disconnect dawned on me.  You see, when taking questions from the White House press corps, the President's staff would identify in advance which reporters to call upon and what topics they would pursue. But in Canada, we left that to the press gallery to determine for themselves. After explaining this nuance in approach and why I could not be certain of exactly what he would be asked, the President slapped my shoulder and laughed about giving me a hard time.“I guess we do things a bit different,” he cracked. And off they went to meet the press.Little differences between our countries may have been the lesson of that day but mutual interest soon kicked in. Breakthroughs launched during that visit included an eventual easing of softwood lumber duties, Canada's delicate exit from BMD and deep cross-border collaboration on BSE. Lasting legacies, to be sure.  Still, what lingers with me most is that hard stare from the leader of the free world.[caption id="attachment_616895" align="alignleft" width="414"] L-R: Tim Murphy (Chief of Staff to PM), Scott Reid, Scott McClellan (President's Press Secretary), President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Paul Martin[/caption]Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney's best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen's Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.