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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Bush says Congress must vote on Colombia pact |
| 2008-03-13 |
| President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he intended to send a controversial free trade pact with Colombia to Congress soon for a vote and warned rejecting the pact would harm U.S. national security. That triggered a warning from congressional leaders that the agreement could be rejected if the White House tries to "bully" Congress into voting on the pact. Bush said approval of the pact was essential to support a key ally in Latin America facing threats from the FARC guerrilla group at home and from neighboring Venezuela, led by leftist President Hugo Chavez. "As we speak, Colombia is under assault from a terrorist network known as the FARC, which aims to overthrow Colombia's democracy and aims to impose a Marxist vision on the country," Bush told the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "Members of the Congress must be ready to move forward with the agreement when they return from the Easter recess," he said in the speech also attended by senior members of Bush's economic and national security team. "And they need to get the job done and get a bill to my desk." U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters she expected Bush to send the agreement to Congress "very shortly" after lawmakers return on Mar 31 to ensure they vote on the pact by the end of the year. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 There is no "Easter" break for this unGodly congress. |
| Posted by: newc 2008-03-13 19:32 |
| #3 If a Congressman even remotely feels bullied they should resign. They are there to provide a balance of power against the Judicial and Executive branches. They are equals but you'd never know it the way they vote on things and then later claim they didn't read it or weren't given time. Yeah Bush could have sold this better rather than using the national security card but come on. No wonder the Congress ranks so low in opinion polls. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-03-13 17:00 |
| #2 President Bush does not realize the political dynamite he is holding here. Americans are aware of Chavez's anti-Americanism, the fact that Venezuela is a major oil exporter to the U.S. (and that crude prices continue to skyrocket, bleeding us). Many are aware of the recent hostilities involving Communist rebels back by Chavez and the Democrats' anti-NAFTA (and generally anti-free trade) stance. Support for this agreement with Columbia can be portrayed as based on the synergy of national security, free trade principles, economic concerns, and the exertion of U.S. influence against a member of the "new Axis of Evil" - a very potent concoction! Here is an opportunity for President Bush to play the populist card and regain his relevance on the American political landscape, stick it to the Democratic-controlled Congress and do something positive for the country all at once. He would be a fool not to trumpet this issue loudly and use it as a bludgeon. It would even assist John McCain's candidacy (which has been very cleverly sniping at the Democrats thus far). |
| Posted by: Gliling Lumplump3518 2008-03-13 09:06 |
| #1 ION KOMMERSANT > RUSSIA TO BE SANCTIONED TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO PROTECT CSTO MEMBERS + PUTIN WILL NOT REPLACE MARX [Art] + ACTS OF TERROR PREVENTED [by FSB] DURING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. Yoohoo, CANUCKS... |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-03-13 03:12 |