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President Obama today met with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who told Mr. Obama he is "an idol" in her country. In a bit of evidence supporting that assertion, members of the Chilean press asked the president for a group photo, a request the president granted. (That picture is at left.)

The event was not simply a love fest: Asked by a reporter if he wanted to apologize for CIA involvement in Chilean elections, Mr. Obama did not do so. (More on the CIA's ties to Chile here.)

"I'm interesting in going forward, not looking backward," the president said. "I think that the United States has been an enormous force for good in the world."

"I think there have been times where we've made mistakes, but I think that what is important is looking at what our policies are today and what my administration intends to do in cooperating with the region," added Mr. Obama.

At his joint appearance with Bachelet, which followed a private meeting, the president also announced a partnership with Chile on clean energy and science.

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President Obama today will hold a news conference in the Rose Garden. Members of the public will be able to react to the conference and connect with one another at an official online chat room.

Later, the president will hold a one-on-one meeting with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile in the Oval Office. Then, the president will meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in the Oval Office.

Also, the White House will hold a roundtable on the 37th Anniversary of Title IX featuring Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and an all-star line-up of female athletes and scientists. In addition to the roundtable participants, which include Billie Jean King and Dominique Dawes, 30 local high school aged girls will be in the audience along with several professional athletes and well-known Title IX advocates. Here is more from the White House press office (all times Eastern):

9:15AM: President Obama receives the Presidential Daily Briefing

9:35AM: President Obama receives the Economic Daily Briefing

10:15AM: President Obama meets with senior advisers

12:30PM: President Obama holds a news conference

2:15PM: President Obama meets one-on-one with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile

2:45PM: President Obama holds expanded meeting with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile

While much of the country's foreign policy elite focused on quelling the eruption of violence along the U.S.-Mexican border, Vice President Joe Biden is turning his attention further south.

Yesterday, the vice president and his wife Jill traveled to Costa Rica and Chile to lay the groundwork for President Obama's scheduled appearance at the Summit of the Americas next month in Trinidad and Tobago.

Biden will represent the U.S. government in the Progressive Governance Conference in Chile before heading to Costa Rica, where he will be hosted by President Oscar Arias.

Biden is expected to stress cooperation in addressing problems such as the global economic crisis and drug trafficking that are affecting the region. Among the countries that he has scheduled to have Cabinet level meetings with are Argentina, Chile, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Panama, and Brazil.

In recent years, relations with South and Central American governments have grown strained, leading to the rise of leaders such as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Daniel Ortega in El Salvador, who are fiercely critical of the United States.

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