Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his wife Cindy McCain are greeted after their arrival in Mexico City, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. (AP Photo/LM Otero) )
by Katie Fretland
Sen. John McCain is in Mexico's capital today to meet with President Felipe Calderon.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president planned to highlight immigration and trade issues during the meeting. First, he planned to visit the country's holiest site for Roman Catholics, the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City.
This week during a trip to Colombia, McCain promoted free trade with Latin America. He voiced support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Mexico, Canada and the United States and a deal for free trade with Colombia.
During his trip, President Alvaro Uribe briefed McCain before the Colombian military liberated former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors who had been held by the FARC rebel group for years.
McCain also pressed Uribe to improve the country's human rights record. According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, the country remains "mired in a brutal and long-running armed conflict involving left-wing guerrillas, paramilitary groups, and the Colombian military. Accountability for serious crimes is almost non-existent and the rule of law has yet to take hold in much of the country." The organization wrote McCain a letter highlighting these problems.
McCain pledged his support for human rights:
"I've been a supporter of human rights for my entire life and career," McCain said following the meeting with Uribe. "We have discussed this issue with President Uribe and will continue to urge progress in that direction. I believe progress is being made and that more progress needs to be made."
The McCain campaign's further ties to Colombia via his chief strategist were reported this week by the New York Times.
Since 1998, the lobbying firm headed until recently by Charlie Black, one of Mr. McCain's closest confidants, has earned more than $1.8 million representing the Occidental Petroleum Corporation, the leading foreign producer of gas and oil in Colombia.
Human rights groups have accused Occidental of complicity in violence against peasants thought to be symapathic to guerilla groups in the area of the pipelines, the Times reports. The company has denied those accusations.
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Comments
And thus comes to an end John McCain's profoundly inexplicable tour of Latin America. Perhaps someone on his campaign thought film clips of John and Stepford Cindy McCain stepping off of planes in foreign lands would look Presidential? Maybe Grampy McBush is deeply confused about the popularity of free trade among a broad cross-section of the American people? Or maybe this was the idea of the guys who just got fired from Grampy Maverick's campaign?
http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/InsultComicDog/?action=view¤t=lk_mccain_500.gif
Posted by: John E | July 3, 2008 2:31 PM
McCAIN IS THE GUY TO MAINTAIN OUR COUNTRY STRONGER AND SAFE, ECONOMY RISE WILL COME VERY SOON, DON'T WORRY ABOUT
Posted by: JUAN YANES | July 3, 2008 3:24 PM
Wasn't it nice that McCain took time out of his busy campaign schedule to free the hostages? Gosh. . .what a true American, very patriotic!
Posted by: Janstress | July 3, 2008 4:16 PM
"THE BREAKFAST CLUB SPEAKS"
NOW THAT IS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT!
1.3 BILLION IN 2003 FOR MILITARY AFFAIRS.
1.3 BILLION DOLLARS OF AMERICAN TAX PAYERS MONIES AND A DEAL OR NO DEAL!
NOW THAT IS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT!
IT'S NO "OCCIDENTAL" KIDNAPPING!
SURE WE WAITED UNTIL "CHARLIE BLACK" NEEDED A "REDEEMPTION" CARD!
1.3 BILLION DOLLARS SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS WE BETTER GET SOMETHING IN RETURN!
GREAT JOB JOHN MCCAIN, YOU ARRIVED AT THE "COLOMBIAN HANOI HILTON" JUST IN TIME!
THANKS CHARLIE! NOW LETS THANK THE "AVERAGE AMERICAN"
VOTE FOR ME AND I WILL BE HONEST ALL THE TIME.
Posted by: Roger Morris | July 3, 2008 4:35 PM