WB2WIK
02-19-2008, 09:50 PM
Question U.S. Hispanics and Latin Americans are asking: Would Obama be good for Latin America?
On the minus side, Obama has never been to Latin America, as he revealed in an interview with Adres Oppenheimer (Miami Herald correspondant) last year. When asked who are the three Latin American leaders he most respected, Barack took a while to think and then replied, "the president of Chile," who he identified as a woman (correctly) but could not actually name.
He was quick to add, though, that "my interest and regard for Latin America is one that has been developing for a long period of time," and that he would visit Mexico (for the first time) after winning his party's nomination.
By comparison, Hillary Clinton's been to Latin America 18 times and spent her honeymoon there, too (Acapulco). Sen. John McCain has made "dozens" of trips to the region, his aides say.
But senior aides to Obama say their candiddte is the one who would most likely improve U.S. - Latin American ties overnight.:p
Anthony Lake, a senior foreign policy advisor to Obama, says Obama's election would be "truly transformative around the world, including Latin America, in a way that no other candidate would be because he represents change." I hear that change theme quite a bit, with little to no explanation as to the exact nature of all that change.
Between Obama and Clinton, Obama offers change with some uncertainty; Clinton offers reforms with a measure of predictability, based on her existing relations and also the way she's voted in the Senate for the past 7 years.
The litmus test may boil down to which of the two would pick the first-ever Hispanic-American Secy. of State.
Wouldn't that be something?
WB2WIK/6
On the minus side, Obama has never been to Latin America, as he revealed in an interview with Adres Oppenheimer (Miami Herald correspondant) last year. When asked who are the three Latin American leaders he most respected, Barack took a while to think and then replied, "the president of Chile," who he identified as a woman (correctly) but could not actually name.
He was quick to add, though, that "my interest and regard for Latin America is one that has been developing for a long period of time," and that he would visit Mexico (for the first time) after winning his party's nomination.
By comparison, Hillary Clinton's been to Latin America 18 times and spent her honeymoon there, too (Acapulco). Sen. John McCain has made "dozens" of trips to the region, his aides say.
But senior aides to Obama say their candiddte is the one who would most likely improve U.S. - Latin American ties overnight.:p
Anthony Lake, a senior foreign policy advisor to Obama, says Obama's election would be "truly transformative around the world, including Latin America, in a way that no other candidate would be because he represents change." I hear that change theme quite a bit, with little to no explanation as to the exact nature of all that change.
Between Obama and Clinton, Obama offers change with some uncertainty; Clinton offers reforms with a measure of predictability, based on her existing relations and also the way she's voted in the Senate for the past 7 years.
The litmus test may boil down to which of the two would pick the first-ever Hispanic-American Secy. of State.
Wouldn't that be something?
WB2WIK/6