Sunday, November 23, 2008

President Bush hearts Latin America

Well, at least according to Dan Fisk, the National Security Council Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The administration's overall message is one I've mentioned a number of times, namely that the Bush administration has had an incredibly positive relationship with Latin America but that it gets no credit.

So the gist of this particular press briefing is that the administration has been at the forefront of improving Latin American economies, pursuing social justice, improving security, and that Bush had a total of 350 phone calls and meetings (is this the diplomatic equivalent to a body count?). In sum:

So again, in terms of the President's record in the hemisphere, this is, again, I think, a good opportunity to remind people of that.

Let me just highlight some very specific areas where I do think that this administration has not only improved the relationship with the hemisphere, but has laid a very solid foundation that the new President can build upon.

This is, we can safely say, the core belief of the administration as it leaves office. We did a great job, and nobody gives us any credit. We honestly have no idea why no one likes us.

3 comments:

Anonymous,  1:48 PM  

Lump that one in along with his comment to Ken Auletta that no other president had done more human rights than him and it merely confirms that the self-awareness train passes these guys by empty every day.

Anonymous,  8:57 AM  

Fisk’s statement is empty. Being engaged with the region does not mean anything. I can’t think of one stand-out positive thing this administration has done in the Hemisphere. The closest I come are acts of omission: despite the paranoia of Chavez and Morales, Bush has not embarked on a covert effort to overthrow those governments. Nothing to write home about. This was a do-nothing administration for Latin America. Fisk and other staffers are just trying to fill the void by building a mythical legacy.

Frankly, with Hillary as the next Secretary of State, I don’t anticipate this state of affairs will change much. What a poor choice by Obama, this one.

Greg Weeks 12:06 PM  

I agree about Clinton--I am going to comment, but am waiting for it to become official.

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