It was in Minneapolis where I was last singled out for my "eh's", eh? Other than that, there were no noticeable differences in accent I recall in that part of the country. Must be different farther east, eh?
My sister, who's lived in Florida for about 20 years now, has worked real hard to lose her "eh"s, and to say her "r's" in a less Canadian fashion.(?) She said co-workers teased her about her r's - I still can't hear much of a difference though. She's picked up a noticeable southern twang too - which does make for some good-natured teasing!
It's interesting to note that according to the CBC last night, there has been very little change in the deployment of Canadian troops in the Gulf since Jean Chretien announced we would not be joining the coalition against Iraq last week. Canadian ships still carry out patrols in the Gulf, still escort American/coalition carriers across the "war zone", provide vital communications support etc. 31 Canadian soldiers on exchange with the American and British military are actively engaged within Iraq itself, right now.
In light of this, I really don't see that there's much for the US to feel "offended" about.