Obama Should Take A Little Trip

The Weekly Standard: The Senator Should Go To Columbia Even If It Angers His Base

(Weekly Standard)  This column was written by Jaime Daremblum.

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Last week's daring rescue of French Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages (including three Americans) by Colombian commandos is cause for rejoicing. As Colombian President Alvaro Uribe put it, the rescue mission was "an unbelievable military achievement." It marked yet another huge victory for Colombia in its war on terrorism and another embarrassing defeat for the country's main leftist guerrilla group -- known by its Spanish acronym, FARC -- which had been holding Betancourt since 2002.

During the six years of her captivity, Colombia was transformed. Murders, kidnappings, and terrorist attacks have all plunged dramatically. The FARC has been devastated by combat deaths and desertions; its remaining forces inhabit remote camps deep in the Colombian jungle, far away from the urban areas. As a result, foreign investment is pouring into the biggest cities. The World Bank has lauded Colombia for its economic reforms, which helped GDP grow by 6.8 percent in 2006 and by more than 7 percent in 2007.

When we consider the progress made under President Uribe (who was first elected in 2002), it is appalling that the U.S. Congress has refused to approve a free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia, ostensibly due to concerns over violence. By any serious measure, Colombia is a far less violent place today than at any time in recent years. Democratic House leaders argue that Colombia has not done enough to stop attacks on trade unionists. That depends on the meaning of the word "enough": According to official Colombian statistics, murders of trade unionists declined from 196 in 2002 to 26 in 2007. Uribe established a special government-funded program to protect union members from violence, and there is no question that their safety has increased enormously.

Unfortunately, American labor unions -- a bulwark of the Democratic party -- are strongly opposed to the free trade pact. (Never mind that the FTA would mostly benefit U.S. exporters.) If the deal has any chance of winning congressional approval, it will happen after the 2008 election.

Like most Democrats, Barack Obama has come out against the Colombia FTA and has chastised the Uribe administration for not doing more to reduce violence. Though Obama speaks often of his desire to improve U.S. credibility abroad, the Democrats' treatment of Colombia is having precisely the opposite effect. Uribe is our closest ally in Latin America. If Congress is willing to humiliate him, what message does that send to other countries in the region?

Obama has an opportunity here. Throughout Latin America, people of all ages are excited about his campaign. If he were to visit Colombia and meet with Uribe, that would signal his strong commitment to the region and his appreciation for all that the Colombian president has achieved. Indeed, if Obama saw the results on the ground in Colombia, he would be less inclined to denounce Uribe over human rights. John McCain was in Colombia last week (the same week Betancourt was rescued). Obama's upcoming travels will take him to Europe and the Middle East, and apparently will include a visit to Iraq. Sometime between now and Election Day, he should find time to spend a day in Colombia.

This is not just a matter of symbolism. If Obama becomes president, he will have to work with Uribe -- and perhaps with some future Colombian president -- to coordinate anti-drug efforts. Since 2000, the United States has spent billions of dollars on "Plan Colombia," an aid package designed to help Colombia stamp out narcotics trafficking. Though it was expanded by President Bush, Plan Colombia began as a Clinton administration initiative that enjoyed strong bipartisan backing in Congress. In other words, close cooperation with Bogotá is not a "Bush policy."

Colombia is located in a region where Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez is trying to spread radical populism. If Obama intends to maintain U.S. influence in that region, he should travel to Colombia and affirm his support for a robust U.S.-Colombia partnership -- even if it angers some prominent Democrats and the AFL-CIO crowd. That's what true statesmanship is all about.

[taxguydave]

Conveniently missing here is the fact that Uribe is just the front man for a fascist military junta that has killed and terrorized far more Colombians than the FARC would ever dream of. Colombia''s right wing paramilitaries have slaughtered entire villages of farmers, and laid waste to their land.

Not only that, but the paramilitaries are also funded by the cocaine trade as well. But the US "military advisors" only drop tons of defoliant on FARC held villages, not governmentor paramilitary run coca farms.

But at least they ain''t commies like the FARC.

[dudeky]

I ALSO BELIEVE HE ENJOYED VERY MOMENTS OF HIS
LITTLE FAMILY TALK ON TV THE OTHER NIGHT....
HIS CHILDREN ALSO SEEM VERY UNRULEY AND
SNOBIE ACTING BRATS......IF HE CAN NOT CONTROL
HIS CHILDREN HOW CAN HE DO ANYTHING OF AMERICA
WHICH HIS WIFE IS NOT PROUD OF?????????

[dudeky]

YES MOST SURELY OBAMA NEEDS TO TAKE A TRIP TO
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE NEVER TO BE SEEN NO MORE
HE IS A BIG CRY BABY AND DOES NOT HAVE NUTS FOR
JACKSON TO CUT.........BE GONE OBAMA

[mcvet]

I''''ll bet Obama''''s faith based ideas are just tearing you to pieces. Leave your Nazi, Stalinist *** for some other fool, we don''''t bite on that BS.

Aint,
I see your vocabulary is still lacking, try to communicate your thoughts with a little intelligence so we can understand what your saying.

Posted by Gunfighter51 at 06:09 AM : Jul 13, 200

Have YOU the intelligence to actually respond to someone''s POST?? With you it''s always the same tired garbage. YOU can''t defend the Incompetence of the Bush Administration nor can you justify the total FAILURE of the Fascist Republican''s soooo??? You attack me and try in your feeble way to appear Superior. I got news for you sparky??? YOU ain''t superior to NO ONE!! Now let''s stand, put on that hood and sheet! Now let''s sing it out, just like last night at the cross burning!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!! Once more!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!! thatta boy!!

[mcvet]

I would''''nt worry about your unions much longer, they are self defeating and will be a thing of the past shortly. Unless your fortunate to be a school teacher or a government employee in which the unions have a monopoly.
Thanks to our school teachers, we get people like Aint that can''''t even talk or spell properly.

Posted by Gunfighter51 at 06:13 AM : Jul 13, 2008
+ report abuse

LOL You are so very wrong. LOOK at the condition of the American Worker since that allowed the Fascist to trash their Union''s. The TRUTH is that American Workers are JOINING Union''s faster than ever. The other problem is that jobs are being shipped out of the nation in record Numbers. We need to stop thinking about the rich and about OTHER nation''s. We need to start taking care of American Workers! Sieg Heil Bush

[bluestardad]

SO THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IS SELLING HELICOPTERS TO THE REBELS?

WHO IS LOOKING INTO THIS?

THERE HAS TO BE A REASON THAT AIPAC WANTED THIS PRINTED IN THEIR MOUTHPIECE THE WEEKLY STANDARD!


HOW MANY AIPAC MEMBERS ARE ON THE WEEKLY STANDARD STAFF AND AT WHAT LEVELS?

HOW MANY DUEL ISRAELI AMERICAN PASSPORT HOLDERS ARE ON THE WEEKLY STANDARD STAFF?

HOW MANY MEMBERS OF THE WEEKLY STANDARD STAFF EVER SERVED IN THE AMERICAN MILITARY?

[gunfighter51]

Sparks,
Is there an echo in here?

I would''nt worry about your unions much longer, they are self defeating and will be a thing of the past shortly. Unless your fortunate to be a school teacher or a government employee in which the unions have a monopoly.
Thanks to our school teachers, we get people like Aint that can''t even talk or spell properly.

[gunfighter51]

McVet, aint
I''ll bet Obama''s faith based ideas are just tearing you to pieces. Leave your Nazi, Stalinist *** for some other fool, we don''t bite on that BS.

Aint,
I see your vocabulary is still lacking, try to communicate your thoughts with a little intelligence so we can understand what your saying.

[kaelinda]

Maybe this columnist wants Obama to take a trip to Colombia on the off-hand chance the FARC will capture HIM and hold him for 6 years as they did Betancourt...

[sparks224]

Columbia has an extremely right wing government that murders union organizers. That''s why the Bush administration likes them so much.

The Weakly Substandard should get a little clue.

[sparks224]

"Just get the *** evangelists out of govt PLEASE!!!"
Posted by ainttaken at 07:09 PM : Jul 11, 2008

Spoken like a trueee Jeffersonian.
(for you RepubliTards, he%u2019s the guy that wrote the Declaration of Independence)

[sparks224]

"Just get the *** evangelists out of govt PLEASE!!!"
Posted by ainttaken at 07:09 PM : Jul 11, 2008

Spoken like a trueee Jeffersonian.
(for you RepubliTards, he%u2019s the guy that wrote the Declaration of Intemperance)

[tksk53]

BUSH - A --NOMICKS
IF IT WASAN''T FOR OUR CURRENT PRESIDENT THE UNITED STATES WOULD BE IN GOOD SHAPE
Just think of all the billions we have poured into this war - That money could have been used to keep our country stable. And the millions and millions that we can''t account for (nobody in Washington seems to care). So let''s stop picking on both canidates and hope one of them cleans up the mess and gets our ecomomy back in shape
Yes the new President will have his hands full just cleaning up the Bush mess

[cbs_monitor1]

Just get the *** evangelists out of govt PLEASE!!!


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Posted by ainttaken at 07:09 PM : Jul 11, 2008


Spoken like a trueeeee Stalinist

[cbs_monitor1]

Obama should take a little trip alright, straight to his knees in prayer to ask the Lord to come into his heart and forgive him of all of his sins and deceptions.

[rushlimpdrug]

"Uribe is our closest ally in Latin America."

Really?

How do you figure?

[mcvet]

Why not? He is involving Americans in an endless nightmare....Hopefully, not for too much longer....

Posted by msay3 at 04:30 PM : Jul 11, 2008

Now maybe in Swastika Land this is true but EVERYWHERE in this nation that I go I find NOTHING but excitement for him and his vision of where he wants to take America. He is daring us to DREAM again... to believe we CAN have a decent nation where Greed doesn''t control everything and everyone. EXCITEMENT is more like it!! He''s going to make a GREAT President so relax and enjoy watching HISTORY being made. SIEG HEIL BUSH!!

[mcvet]

aint,
How do you expect to get evangelists out of government by electing BHO, African Americans are some of the most religious people around. (see Rev Wright)

Posted by Gunfighter51 at 06:29 AM : Jul 12, 2008

That''s called Guilt by association and is the tool MOST often used by the Nazi''s to discredit those who wouldn''t agree with the Party! Now can you say Sieg Heil for us?? ROFLMAO

[gunfighter51]

Does BHO even know where Columbia is?

He probably thinks it''s one of our 57 states.

aint,
How do you expect to get evangelists out of government by electing BHO, African Americans are some of the most religious people around. (see Rev Wright)

[ubrew12]

Whatever the Weakly says, do the opposite.