Bush Tries to Mend Ties With Latin America

[maddezmom]

SANTIAGO, Chile - President Bush (news - web sites), trying to mend relations with Latin America, pledged Sunday to make a fresh push for stalled immigration reforms and defended the U.S. invasion of Iraq (news - web sites), saying that "history will prove it right."



~snip~

Both Bush and Lagos acknowledged they had disagreed about Iraq. "Most of the time we will be in agreement. Sometimes we won't," Lagos said. "But that's life."


Bush said he respected Lagos' decision and said they were still friends. "What we're doing is the right thing in Iraq and history will prove it right," the president said.


Bush said no one could argue that Iraq was better off with Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) out of power, or dispute the need to support democracy. The president mistakenly said Iraq's elections were being planned for June 30 rather than Jan. 30.


much more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20041122/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/bush_apec

[Sannum]

1. .

:eyes:

[WMliberal]

2. i couldn't have said it better

i was about to go into a rant about chavez, lula, war on columbian farmers, "free trade" until i saw your post.

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Too Bad, George. While You Were Playing In Iraq...

Too bad, George, while you were fooling around in Iraq and neglecting Latin America, the European Union, Japan, Korea, and now mainland China were busy making diplomatic and economic inroads. The guy who is busy turning the US into the first among banana republics is costing the USA influence and leverage over the other present and former banana republics in the western hemisphere.

Chalk up another victory for the GOPster policies of no economic assistance to furriners and no debt relief.

[aneerkoinos]

7. Thank you Bush

He's liberating the world. I don't think SA would have made such progress without Bush's thuggery. Too bad about Haiti, let's hope Lula fixes it and brings back Aristide or gives people opportunity to elect somebody willing to stand up to IMF.

But you make me wonder, do American liberals still really support the Monroe-doctrine, even if Clinton's silk glove version of it? How is that neoliberal market fundamentalist + School of Americas "influence and leverage" different from traditional, more blatant forms of colonialism, really?

[Vogon_Glory]

10. Depends On What You Call A Liberal

To answer your question, that depends on what you call a "liberal." By the standards of the right-wing lunatics with a stranglehold on the Republican Party and holding the federal government by the throat, I'm a pinko-Commie, socialistic, secular hoomanist, hommasexshul-loving liberal. By comparison to most DU'ers, I'm off in right field. By my own standards, I'm what would be considered to be a conservative social democrat.

As such, I tend to get nearly as buggy about protecting US national security as some of the right-wing loony tunes. I also would prefer not to have Chinese missile boats and air bases in the Caribbean or in Central America or al Qaeda running open shop in the area. The difference is that I don't believe that the US has any business continuing its old "gun boat diplomacy" era colonialist games. I would greatly prefer to see the US treating its Latin neighbors as first among equals, a policy option that looks to have been closed off by the Republicans even as far back as 1994 when the Repukes gained control of both houses of Congress.

Unfortunately, the USA is regressing to a time where even the condescending Kennedy administration policies towards Latin America look almost enlightened compared to what Runnin' Dubya Posse members want to cram down our neighbors' throats.

Since the US is no longer the only economic colossus striding the globe anymore, it looks like Gee Dubya Bush's and the Banana Republicans' Amurrica now has intelligent, competent rivals.

If my thinking makes me look like a Demo version of Theodore what's-his-name, deal with it.

[aneerkoinos]

12. Hi!

Right-wing social democrat, know that breed, got plenty of those here in Europe. :) Generally at least the European current breed today seems to be far far right even to Roosevelt, alas.

What seems funny to me is that when China does business in SA and buys their stuff, US commercial media goes bonkers, while EU being bigger trade partner with Mercosur, EU-Mercosur FTA deal closer to accomplishment than FTAA and Mercosur and Andian community planning to unite into a replica of EU with EU's financial and technical support stays safely under media radar. EU just aint media sexy, thank goodness! :D

[Vogon_Glory]

13. It's Not Just the Anglos Who Go Bonkers

It's not just English-speaking Americans who can go nuts on the subject. I remember taking a shore excursion to Panama a year or so ago where my friend and I ended up sharing a car with a large group of Puerto Ricans. When the subject turned to Chinese involvement in Panama and the former Canal Zone, I thought I'd found the Spanish-language sound track to the G. Gordon Liddy show. The PR's were every bit as paranoid as the Dixie cracker sooper-dooper patriots.

[alcuno]

4. How does the cancellation of a state dinner mend ties?

The guy can't go anywhere except for the American bible belt without offending someone.

[struggle4progress]

8. Off to a great start, ain't he?

I wonder if America will have any allies in another four years ...

[Malva Zebrina]

5. As long as he insists that he did the right thing in Iraq

which by now, he HAS to in order to save face, he will be welcomed in few countries. They will all see him as a ruthless, greedy prick who could very well screw them as well.

I hope it keeps up.

They cancelled the state dinner because he required so much security that it was an insult to them.

I can see others doing the same--as they will ahve to foot the bill.

I don't think this appearance in Chile was a very positive one for Bush.

[natrat]

6. these idiots are so far gone

all they know is hate

[Imperialism Inc.]

9. Is this a typo or a Bush f-up?

"Bush said no one could argue that Iraq was better off with Saddam Hussein out of power"

[SoCalDem]

11. Too bad it's not "fence mending"

I'd loan him some steel mesh gloves, and give him a damp rug to stand on while he mended that electrified fence :evilgrin: