Just a quick hit on the news on the F-35: Canada is now not blindly saying it will buy the 65 for the low, low price of $75 million, but will instead consider how things proceed. Fine. Anyone complaining that Canada should be concerned about annoying anyone, including the US, for dithering on the order is ignoring the reality that everyone is re-considering their order. The plane has gotten far more expensive than expected, that the cost savings for a large, multi-country order have disappeared. The Aussies are re-considering, the Brits are delaying, the Japanese are cutting, the Dutch may drop it entirely, and, yes, the Americans are both cutting the order and delaying. If Canada either drops the order entirely or cuts part of it, it will be among the last, not the first to do so, and will face few, if any, complaints from allies who are doing the same.
There are good reasons to support or oppose the purchase. Just buying to avoid alliance complaints is just as silly as joining a student strike because the rest of Quebec is doing so.
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