Latin America: forever on the back burner

"600 words" by Esther J. Cepeda

It was going to happen: finally, a robust discussion about the United States’ foreign policy toward Latin America because the "rock star" was going to bring it up. Yep, it was to be an important day in turning the nation’s attention south until someone had to stick her big fat foot - conservative pump and all - into her mouth. Again.

Capitalizing on the occasion of Cuban Independence Day week, Barack Obama seized his moment in the Miami sun Friday to deliver a speech titled "Renewing U.S. Leadership in the Americas." He spoke of the promise of hard-working immigrants, of "taking pride in a vibrant and diverse democracy," of challenging the visions of leftist dictator-wannabes by actually acknowledging those south of the border as more than just U.S.-bound welfare cases or drug dealers.

‘Bama ripped George Bush’s record of completely neglecting Latin America and threw McCain under the same bus: "It is time for us to recognize that the future security and prosperity of the United States is fundamentally tied to the future of the Americas. If we don’t turn away from the policies of the past, then we won’t be able to shape the future.  The Bush Administration has offered no clear vision for this future, and neither has John McCain."

He covered dealing with FARC rebels in Colombia, bringing libertad to Cuba, finding a way to keep China from buying up everything south of the equator and keeping Iran from propping up Venezuela’s instability with its oil money.

Did you hear about it? No, because on the same day Hillary Clinton bumbled into offending supporters and detractors alike by saying something stupid that had a weird racial tinge. Again.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Hillary brought up Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 assassination simultaneously recalling the sore subjects of Barack Obama’s peril on the campaign trail and the frail health of Senator Edward Kennedy who, let’s not forget, completely punked her out by throwing the full weight of his political machine behind Barack several months ago.

The media, of course, were off to the races. McCain’s flack’s silly exhortation that "Senator Obama’s reckless judgement, and his pandering on trade will set back relations between the U.S. and Latin America for decades!" took a back seat to the latest Hillary kerfuffle.

Will anything short of Colombia taking Jessica Simpson hostage while symbolically dumping several plane-loads of pure cocaine into Boston Harbor get the United States to

pay attention to the almost thirty countries who could be our greatest allies, trade partners, and friends?

Frankly I don’t much care what other stupidity any of the candidates manage to croak out in the next few months. I, like so many others, have disconnected from it all but they’re missing opportunities to engage voters in open, constructive national dialogues.

Instead of talking about, much less to, our neighbors to the south – though I guess we will when Rio steals that 2016 Olympics bid from Chicago – our relationship with Latin America remains nonexistent, and it ain’t because they’re boring!

Argentina just elected its first female president who happened to be married to the immediate outgoing president, Ecuador’s leftist president studied at the University of Illinois, the president of Bolivia used to be a coca plant farmer. There are a million non-presidential but interesting telenovela-style points of interest but they seem to be forever off the American map of "things that matter."

News flash: our "American" way of life squarely rests on the prosperity and health of everyone of our continental neighbors. It matters.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the “600 Words” & “Pregunta del Dia” columns, and is also a Director at the Chicago-based United Neighborhood Organization. Her reporting and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of UNO. “600 words” is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Comments

[blackmamba]

As long as the Latin American governments are perceived as serving America's national security interests by corruption and dictatorships that serve to protect American economic interests there is no real motivation for America to care about it's New World colonial empire. I

[Carlton Blanchard]

I will personally fly to Columbia to rescue the fair Jessica! But first I must make a short side trip to Boston to pick up some, er...tea. Definitely tea.