McCain To Visit Colombia

Ariz. Senator Says He Wants To Show Support For Anti-Drug Efforts, Pending Free Trade Agreement

(AP)  Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Tuesday he wants to show his support for Colombia's anti-drug efforts and a pending free-trade agreement with the U.S. by visiting the South American ally.

In announcing the trip and citing his friendship with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, the Arizona senator sought contrasts with his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

McCain said Obama opposes U.S. anti-drug aid for the world's largest producer of cocaine and also is against the free-trade agreement, despite having described himself as a proponent of free trade.

McCain said his campaign committee would pay for the trip south- specific travel dates were not announced for security reasons - just as it did last week when he flew north to deliver an economics speech in Canada.

His staff committed one mistake in announcing the trip, though, repeatedly misspelling the country as "Columbia."

Nonetheless, McCain cast his support for Colombia, its leaders and its people in the friendliest of terms.

"I have been to Colombia before and I know President Uribe and I know the struggle that nation has undergone," he said, noting past descriptions of the country as a failed nation.

"I want to thank him. I want to know how we can work more closely together. I want to assure him that I believe in free trade between our two countries, that I believe that our two nations can work together and fight back the scourge of drugs that has so much afflicted their country and ours," McCain said. "I consider him a friend and I consider the people of Colombia my friends as well."

An aide to McCain said the trip would be before the Fourth of July.

[Gary Kempf]

Nelson5714
Come on, Cindy has a right being wealthy, to expect pure uncut drugs.

[pensacola88]

John McCain was born in Panama. Panama was territory that was formerly Colombia. When Colombia didn''t want to sell any land for the "Grand Canal" A.K.A. Panama canal, the USA and France sponsored a revolution that created Panama and recognized it into statehood as a country. After that, the Pamana canal was pursued and abandoned by the French, and later reattempted by the USA successfully.

The drug trade was the result of abandoned economic and trade agreements that left countries orphaned and forced populations to fend for theirself. While other countries were executing drug users, and incarcerating them without parole, the USA outlawed the drugs and made them more lucerative for dealers. The refrain from cruel executions used in other countries permitted a social problem to gain strength until the root cause - foreign economics and trade was addressed. It was cheaper to pay Colombia to stop the trade as much as possible, than to treat addicts in this country, but the economic loss had to be addressed on both sides.

American isolationism prevailed in the early 1900''s and accelerated conditions that created WWI & WWII.

[nelson5714]

Magoo visiting Colombia to discuss further drug supplies t to his drug addict wife

[realpatriot1]

McCain has been to Iraq 4 times and still doesn''t know the difference between Sunnis & Shiites.

What more proof do we need that he''s senile?

[realpatriot1]

JERSupporter,

Obama has a plan. In a nutshell, it''s to reverse the Bush plan.

That''s good enough for me.

[noloyalisti]

Columbia is the most dangerous place in the world now to speak up for workers rights. No wonder Bush and McSame love it so. They can use the right wing wacko government of that country to set up their depraved, murderous right wingnut CEO buddies to strengthen fascism. Like they have done in America and are trying to do in Iraq.

By the way, Chavez won an election in an actual democratic country (unlike this one) by 60% of the vote. Don''t confuse capitalism or communism with democracy.

[mcvet]

I wish he were amongst the american people who needs help - who are suffering for unemployment, loss of healthcare, flood, wild-fire, etc.

McSame should try to get the approval of the american people, instead of foreign regimes.

Posted by aj4321 at 12:27 PM : Jun 25, 2008

Yeah that would be nice! We just had ANOTHER plant here close down just last week, moved to a Third World Country. It would be nice if he visited THOSE workers who''s jobs he''s handing over to these greedy sob''s!! SIEG HEIL McSame!!

[mcvet]

elie, you will not even be alive when John McCain is President of the United States so do not worry. I really like how your boy DumbObama never has a plan for anuthing - all he does is say no when John McCain sahres his plan. How pathetic.

Posted by JERSupporter at 12:01 PM : Jun 25, 2008
+ report ab
Why go through that Pathetic "I''m Superior" garbage. Why not just come out and TELL people what they can already see. YOU don''t care about the Workers in this nation, you don''t care that these flawed and failed Policies have forced our standard of living to the Bottom of the G-7. You just don''t care as long as YOU got yours... Why be so dishonest swastika breath??? Now let the people know that it''s the "Party" that''s really important here... SING it out! SIEG HEIL Bush!! Come on!! You did so much better at the Cross Burning last weekend didn''t you??? Let''s hear it!! SIEG HEIL MEIN FUHRER!! Thatta boy!!

[mcvet]

noloyalist: Colombia, not Columbia, you ignorant, pseudo-intellectual community college dropout. I guess you''''d rather have nobody in South America to stem the tide of Bolivarian Communism Chavez is spreading through the region and is currently engulfing Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil. There, just like here, Chavez funded the electoral campaigns of every leftist candidate. No wonder why Obama wants "Private" funding. Chavez has the oil money to ensure his coreligionist over here gets elected by hitting us at all hours of the day with his expensive televised propaganda.

Posted by endofempire at 12:59 PM : Jun 25, 2008
+ re

ROFLMAO RIGHT!! You are so full of it your eyes are turning brown! These Fascist ALWAYS resort to this when they can''t debate the issue''s! WE should NOT be sending any more American Jobs out of this nation. Our standard of living has fallen to LAST within the G-7 and continues to fall. American''s should NOT have to compete with 30 Cents a Day and YOU need to put away that swastika... or Hood as the case may be. It''s making you stupid. Ready?? Let Shooter hear ya!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!! SIEG HEIL McSAME!! GOOD bootlicker!!

[briannorwood]

If McCain is so against drugs, he ought to start with his druggie wife, Cindy!