Obama pledges new direction on Latin America
Courting another key constituency in the swing state of Florida, Barack Obama today outlined what he calls a new approach for Latin America distinct from the Bush administration's failed policies.
Speaking to the Cuban American National Foundation, the Democratic front-runner called for direct diplomacy throughout the hemisphere to advance democracy and promote American values and ideals, to immediately allow Cuban Americans unlimited family travel and remittances to the island, to create an Energy Partnership for the Americas that would develop alternative energy, launch a regional security initiative to battle drug trafficking, to target development assistance for Latin America aimed at promoting bottom-up growth, and to reinstate a Special Envoy for the Americas in the White House and open more consulates and expand the Peace Corps in Latin America.
“If we don’t turn away from the policies of the past, then we won’t be able to shape the future," Obama said in prepared remarks from his campaign. "The Bush Administration has offered no clear vision for this future, and neither has John McCain. So we face a clear choice in this election. We can continue as a bystander, or we can lead the hemisphere into the 21st century. And when I am President of the United States, we will choose to lead.
"It’s time for a new alliance of the Americas," continued Obama, who spoke Thursday at a synagogue in Boca Raton, trying to reassure Jewish voters that he will defend Israel's security. "After eight years of the failed policies of the past, we need new leadership for the future. After decades pressing for top-down reform, we need an agenda that advances democracy, security, and opportunity from the bottom up. So my policy towards the Americas will be guided by the simple principle that what’s good for the people of the Americas is good for the United States.”
John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, earlier this week criticized Obama for his willingness to talk to Cuba's leaders and reaffirmed his support for keeping the economic boycott of Cuba.
UPDATE: The McCain campaign issued a statement in response. "Senator Obama promises a new day in the relations between the United States and Latin America," said spokesman Tucker Bounds. "But he would begin that new day by undermining NAFTA and rejecting the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. President Uribe of Colombia is a reliable ally of the United States, and a strong partner in the war against drugs and terrorists. Yet, Senator Obama would reward President Uribe by refusing a critical trade agreement, and meeting with Hugo Chavez, the man who supports the terrorists trying to destroy Colombia.
"Senator Obama's promises of unilateral concessions to Cuba’s dictators even in advance of an unconditional summit meeting with Raul Castro is exactly the wrong approach to free the people of Cuba. Senator Obama's reckless judgment, and his pandering on trade will set back relations between the United States and Latin America for decades. That's not a new day the people of North and South America want to wake up to."
The Republican National Committee also sent a statement arguing that the group Obama is addressing does not represent most Cuban-Americans.
The RNC also posted a new web video that criticizes what it calls Obama’s naïveté on national security, including his proposals on Cuba and his pledge to meet with leaders of rogue nations.
But but but....Obama has no specifics! No details! No policy! He is all oration and big speeches. BUT!
LM:
You know, the tired Clinton complaint of "Just Words!" is just that, tired. The very article that you post this comment on contains a link to a 13 page document released by the Obama campaign, containing specifics, details, and a policy.
No one's asking you to do any in-depth research here. Only that you not go out of your way to be ignorant. Give me a break, jackass.
His policies speak for themselves. Low taxes for 200k or lower. No taxes on retired social security 50k and under. 5-7k College tuition credit in exchange for volunteer work for government agency. He is fighting to increase miles per gallon in Detroit. He believes in helping out people who fell victim to the mortgage mess. He doesnt have many special interest guys fighting for big business so he can fight for us.
"Americanizing" our Latin neighbors is absolutely criminal and NAFTA should be scrapped all together. They should have their own political system that works for them. Not our fat n happy and arrogant attitudes.
after taking so many leaves from hillary's "textbook" for his "policies," obama still comes out as a know-nothing (on jfk & khrushchev, e.g.) w/o his staff's prepared speeches for him, like this one he spouted before--pandertng to--a latino crowd.
in contrast, i do hope that when the progressive-minded HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON gets to become the us of a's 44th president, she'll lift the inhumane 3-decade old or so cuban embargo. kampuchea's genocide perpetrator pol pot got away from the u.s.'s range of vision, so why zero in on a group of true cuban patriots & freedom fighters, like the brothers fidel & raul castro?
copiously cop
th
2.
LM:
He has what it takes to change America for the better
God,its good to have a president with some ideas other then lets bomb them into submission if they don"t obey their great master the United States.Its long past time we recognized Cuba.The Cubans in the US are those people who supported right wing dictatorships in Cuban not freedom loving people.And the Republican spokesman who calls the columbian president an aid against terrorism obviously knows nothing about latin America.The Columbian president has been linked to the terrorist units in Columbia sponsered by our US government who are keeping the peasants from finally getting freedom,The only thing i disagree with is Obamas support for Zionist Israel who is the cause of most of the trouble in the middle east.Israel created the Palastine refugee problem by stealing their land and they refuse to honor the UN agreement which gave them their homeland and promised a new homeland to the displaced Palastinians
I don't know if Obama is winning friends or votes in the Cuban Refugee populaiton of South Florida with his plan for opening a dialog with the new Cuban Leadership, but it is a reasonable course. We have an opportunity to end decades of sanctions on Cuba with the transition, there, to a new leader, and by reaching out now, rather than after the fact, it is just possible that the US can have some positive influence there.
In South and Central America the relationships have been slipping into an aura of animosity because of high handed and overbearing US policy. Obama may also be able to reverse that trend. Improvements in the quality of life for the working class in that region would be a very large step in changing the NAFTA agreements from a negative to a positive for Americans Working People.
What an idiotic ad? Who they think is listening to this anti-obama ad that is
obviouisly made by cutting words out of context. This an insult to inteligence of an American voter/cityzen.
The USSR actually survived as a superpower its loss in Afghanistan. What really killed it was when Czechoslovakia and Hungary, taking revenge respectively for 1968 and 1956 allowed East Germans to exit to the West through their territories.
The essential colonial territories of their empire dissolved.
Similarly the Corporate States of America could never survive the loss of their Latin holdings. This is why Obama's "new direction" will remain just talk.
Our country could implode just as did the empire of the east.
I havent heard anyone commenting on the 13 page "Blueprint" tucked away on Obama's website . Theres a link close to the Cuban National Foundation speech.
Massive massive give away to every country but the US. Hes not for America.
The link that Wright and Ayers and Michelle Obam and Rashid Kahlil share is the revolution. Ayers speech in front of Chavez and Obamas speech and Blueprint
are of the same material...
Someone needs to investigate all this
I like what I read.
Diplomacy is civil and logical, isolation and sanctions are barbaric.
We have had enough of bully politics and isolationism..turmoil and hate.
I don't think the military complex war profiteers would agree and we know McCain is a continuance of the Bush Bullys seems he always answers with the war, hero, poor me, and fear tactics..I can not stand it any longer!
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