Canadians Welcome Barack Obama Like He's the Reincarnation of Tim Horton

President Obama is spending a few hours in Canada today, and the Canadians are freaking out, because this is the coolest thing that's happened to them since last winter.

Meanwhile, Obama has to — in the course of an afternoon — reassure Prime Minister Stephen Harper that he was totes j/k about those "Buy American" provisions in the bailout, and the whole "screw NAFTA" thing, and anything else that's troubling Prime Minister Stephen Harper's bobbley little head.

For those of us who missed the last bus to Ottawa, Kady O'Malley (Canada's sassiest political blogger) is liveblogging the whole frigid circus right here, eh…

Alright, I’m outside The Perimeter – on the Lawn, in fact – awaiting the motorcade. I’m behind the first row or so of assembled masses, but some kindly staffers are strategically kicking snow into a makeshift platform.

Okay, so the crowd is — actually, about as random as you can imagine — old, young, black, white, male, female, you know the drill — lots of O-poster and banners and a sense of O-verall O-nticipation. Also: snipers!

O boy!