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Obama A Lousy Latin Lover

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY -Posted 7/29/2008

Lousy Latin Lover

Foreign Policy: Following Barack Obama's European tour, Bill Richardson has big plans for the candidate to visit Latin America next. But a look at what Obama has in store doesn't give the region much to look forward to.

The New Mexico governor says "discussions" for an Obama Latin America trip are being held. "He wants to emphasize that his administration would not be Europe-centric or only focused on the Middle East."

Can't argue with that. After all, it's the same regional commitment that rival John McCain showed with his little-covered visits to Colombia, Mexico and Canada. Obama has yet to set foot in the region and has made only two speeches about the area. Nor did he mention Latin America in his citizen-of-the-world speech in Berlin.

That may have something to do with Obama's plans for the region, which are loaded with new walls and sanctions, especially for allies.

What exactly would Obama say if he went to Latin America? None of his top advisers pays much attention to the region, and Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer reports that Latin hands in his camp, including Richardson, don't have Obama's ear. So it's little surprise the Obama offerings to the region are so unattractive.

• Mexico: Obama declared he would unilaterally scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement that Mexico signed in 1994, not only treating the pact with Mexico like toilet paper, but calling it "a bad trade treaty." He's since backtracked, but still intends to muscle in new labor and environmental provisions. Obama also promises "comprehensive immigration reform," a real thrill to Mexicans who get empty villages and broken up families from that.

• Guatemala: Obama can tell Guatemalans he voted "no" on their free-trade deal, attempting to shut the tiny democracy out of access to the world's biggest market, though it cost American workers nothing. There's more: His endorsers in the AFL-CIO want Guatemala's treaty revoked permanently over a few labor violations instead of working with them to a solution.

• Brazil: Obama's got more walls — ethanol tariffs. As America reels from an energy crisis, Obama vows to keep the 52% tariffs on Brazil's sugar-based ethanol (McCain would scrap them). He said it "does not serve our national and economic security to replace imported oil with Brazilian ethanol." He'd rather buy oil from Venezuela's Hugo Chavez than replace some with Brazilian ethanol. There's also no G-8 seat nor Security Council seat to reflect Brazil's growing achievements and global heft — as McCain vows to give.

• Panama: Another country whose free-trade reforms and years spent in treaty negotiations mean nothing to Obama. His answer to this tiny nation that sits astride the strategically vital Panama Canal is to give U.S. handouts, rather than trade with them freely.

• Peru: Obama says he supported Peru's free-trade pact. Maybe so, but, unlike other Democratic senators who actually OK'd the deal, Obama couldn't be bothered to show up for the vote.

• Colombia: A pact nearly identical to Peru's, with the same labor and environmental provisions that Obama said were lacking in the NAFTA agreement? Nope. Colombia is America's closest ally in the hemisphere, yet Obama shuts them out of free trade as punishment for a handful of violent acts against labor leaders. He even accused President Alvaro Uribe, a national hero who brought peace to his country after 44 years of war, of being involved. "I think until we get that straightened out, it's inappropriate for us to move forward." So the blue-jeans factory workers and flower pickers in Medellin can forget about jobs, despite Colombia's 600-plus extraditions to the U.S. of criminals, or Colombia's putting of its own troops in harm's way to rescue Americans held hostage by vicious FARC terrorists who are on record as seeing Obama's election as a good thing.

These friendly nations get stiffed, but no such problems for the anti-American nations of the region that can look forward to quality face time with Obama. "It is time to pursue direct diplomacy, with friend and foe alike, without preconditions," Obama told the Cuban American National Foundation last May. Small wonder Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez both hope for a President Obama.

In short, Obama's plan has it exactly backward — all sticks for allies, all carrots for enemies. It would be hard to see how an Obama trip to the region could be well-received, given how many barriers Obama is vowing to put in front of America's friends.

When broken treaties, welfare handouts and insults to allies are the only thing Obama's got to offer, it's doubtful he's going to find a rapturous crowd.

http://www.investors.com/editorial/

By SUERTE GRINGO on Jul 29, 2008, 18:39 in Politics & the war.

miamimike says on Jul 29, 2008, 21:31:

Seems like the vast majority of Hispnaics in America aren't reading articles like you mention as Latinos in the USA are, with the exception of some aging right wing Miami Mambisa Cubans, as shown in recent polls, overwhelmingly going for Obama,,,Obama is not against the FTA with Colombia, he will support after Uribe conducts a through investigation of the Trade Unionist and Newspaper Reporter's Deaths bringing their Perps to Justice in the courts! So far this justice hasn't happened!

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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Dolfi says on Jul 30, 2008, 01:01:

Well, investors.com seems to have a clear neoliberal bias, I wouldn´t expect a good word on Obama from them.

By the way, my wife says that most latinos are quite racist and would never vote for a black candidate. Maybe that has something to do with it?

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viajero123 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 30, 2008, 02:26:

None of the candidates care about Latin America. Obama has shown disregard for the region, and McCain's trip was just a publicity hit to get the Latino votes, not because he will change Bush's foreign policy towards the region. For Colombia, McCain will probably be better as he is more likely to continue the support for Plan Colombia and the war against Farc and to sign the Free Trade Agreement.

But whoever wins, Latin America will continue to be the USA's backyard and will not play a strong role in the foreign policy. Latin America as a region in the world is insignificant. It is not poor enough (except for a few exceptions) to catch the attention of the world, and it is not prosperous enough to get the full attention of the business world as Asia does, nor it has the oil reserves or nuclear weapons that many middle eastern countries do or want to have. And undocumented immigrants are invisible slaves so no one cares about them. In the short term, they will not be deported nor allowed to stay so they will not be determinant in US foreign policy. I don't see any of the candidates changing this.

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august says on Jul 30, 2008, 07:23:

Two things. First, Latin America´s problems are damn difficult to solve from Washington. They´re tricky in themselves, but when you add domestic US politics, they just get nasty. From a cost-benefit perspective, most US politicians just don´t feel the proper incentive to get knee-deep into it.

Second, Obama doesn´t have to court Latin America. As I posted recently,

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/a-rather-worthless-trip-to-carte...

the guy´s already got 66 percent of the US Latino vote compared to McCain´s 21. Maybe the undecided Latino votes are worth something, but the alliances are pretty established if you believe those numbers.

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miamimike says on Jul 30, 2008, 07:56:

Here in Miami I wouldn't say all Latinos are Racistas though some are. I have a Colombian Neighbor Family whose daughter married a Black a while back and while they were against it at first, they now accept him as he is a law abiding hardworking guy. The Papi is for Obama, the Col wife was for Hillary but now both support Obama. Some Latinos make a lot of untoward comments when a Black isn't present but they shouldn't forget it wasn't long ago many Latinos were blatantly discriminated against here in Miami. How many of these actually go to vote are another question. You don't see much racism amongst the Puerto Rican community, at least not here or in NYC. The Older Cubans(most) thumbs down are the most Racist of ANY Nationality I have ever seen !!

As far as the poster who made the comment on Oil in Latin America, we get a lot of Oil from this region as Mexico and Venezuela are right behind(3&4 place) Canada and Saudi Arabis as far as our Major suppliers.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company...

Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)
Country May-08 Apr-08 YTD 2008 May-07 YTD 2007

The top sources of US crude oil imports for May were Canada (1.840 million barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1.579 million barrels per day), Mexico (1.116 million barrels per day), Venezuela (1.030 million barrels per day), and Nigeria (0.851 million barrels per day). The rest of the top ten sources, in order, were Iraq (0.583 million barrels per day), Angola (0.464 million barrels per day), Algeria (0.440 million barrels per day), Brazil (0.318 million barrels per day), and Kuwait (0.263 million barrels per day). Total crude oil imports averaged 9.657 million barrels per day in May, which is a decrease of (0.264) million barrels per day from April 2008. Total crude imports for May include 0.033 million barrels per day for Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CANADA 1,840 1,952 1,889 1,858 1,876
SAUDI ARABIA 1,579 1,453 1,531 1,574 1,389
MEXICO 1,116 1,259 1,207 1,461 1,467
VENEZUELA 1,030 1,019 998 1,232 1,103

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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quantum says on Aug 2, 2008, 08:23:

The closer Obama gets to the prize, the more establishment status quo becomes his political rhetoric. Kinda like Nancy Pelosi once she got into a position of real power. Unfortuately I look for no real substantive changes with an Obama administration. Brzyinski and the CFR are bizy determining who will be his running mate. They will be pulling Obamas strings. Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss. Just another fraud. Only one out there telling the truth with the exception of Ralph Nader maybe, is Sen Ron Paul. But the media has shut him out, as they have so effectively shut out any worthy, legitimate alternative for a long time. American couch potatoes, your democracy is toast. Get used to it!

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