In the "Don't they mean broke tradition again" department.
Democrats in a radio address on Saturday broke a tradition of refraining from attacking the president while he is abroad. Antonio Villaraigosa, former speaker of the California state assembly, charged,
Bush Denies Pandering to Hispanic Vote on Trip
March 24, 2002 9:31 pm EST
By Steve Holland
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (Reuters) - President Bush accused Democrats on Sunday of "petty politics" for calling his Latin American tour an attempt to pander to U.S. Hispanic voters, as he celebrated Central America's rebound from civil wars to democracy on the last stop of a four-day trip.
"I guess I'd say I'm disappointed," Bush said in a joint news conference with Salvadoran President Francisco Flores. "Sometimes in Washington, D.C., people cannot get rid of old habits, which is petty politics."
Bush returned to Washington late Sunday after wrapping up a trip that also took him to Lima, Peru and Monterrey, Mexico.
Democrats in a radio address on Saturday broke a tradition of refraining from attacking the president while he is abroad. Antonio Villaraigosa, former speaker of the California state assembly, charged, "The president's trip this weekend to Latin America is part of an orchestrated strategy to curry favor with Latino voters in the United States."
It was the second time Democrats had attacked Bush while he was overseas. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota accused Bush of isolationism while he was in Europe last year.
It has been a Republican goal to increase support from the fast-growing Hispanic community in the United States. At the same time, however, Bush has repeatedly vowed to try to improve the lives of people in Latin America, who often feel neglected by their giant northern neighbor.
Bush, who thrilled Flores by calling him "mi amigo," used his particular brand of Spanglish to make the point.
"What's best for America is a prosperous and peaceful El Salvador," he said, adding in Spanish, "y Mexico, y tambien los paises in Sur de America (and Mexico and the countries of South America as well)."
Bush was wrapping up a swing during which he has sought to reassure Latin America of his interest in helping bring economic prosperity to the hemisphere after he got sidetracked by the post-Sept. 11 war on terrorism.
He held talks with Flores on trade and migration. Flores raised the issue to Bush of renewing temporary protection for thousands of Salvadorans in the United States whose visas have expired. Aides said Bush said the issue was under review at the Justice Department.
The two leaders then attended a working lunch with the leaders of the other Central American nations, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Elsewhere in the capital, thousands of peasants, union workers and students marched peacefully to protest proposals of free trade between Central America and the United States as an exploitation of cheap labor.
"I see a free-trade agreement as a fight between a trussed-up donkey and a free lion," said Margarita Posada, one of the march organizers. "They come to offer us roads, modern airports and ports just to transport goods to big multinational companies."
Central America was shattered by civil wars in recent decades, and the U.S. involvement in them caused deep resentment. Some protesters at the march carried signs blaming the United States for the 70,000 dead in El Salvador's 12-year civil war between leftist rebels and the U.S.-backed government, which ended in 1992.
Now El Salvador is a success story in a region where most of the 35 million people live in poverty, and other nations are having trouble overcoming their violent pasts.
"For millions of Salvadorans, violence was a daily reality and prosperity was just a distant dream. Today, El Salvador is at peace," Bush said.
SEEKING TO REASSURE ON TRADE
At the news conference, Bush sought to reassure Central America of his interest in a Central American free-trade agreement. Many in the region had hoped he would use the El Salvador visit to announce a new stage of more formal talks.
Bush made no such announcement, simply repeating his promise to work for the pact.
"We intend to push as hard as we possibly can to get the trade agreement done. I was very serious when I announced the trade agreement, and we're going to work hard to expedite the agreement," he said.
Bush's free-trade policy is bogged down in the U.S. Senate, which has refused so far to approve giving him enhanced authority to negotiate free-trade deals due to disputes over labor and environmental standards in such agreements.
Bush also denied the United States was protectionist. In recent weeks, Washington has imposed tariffs on steel imports and Canadian softwood lumber.
"Look, we buy more goods from all around the world than any nation," Bush said.
Five countries of Central America, not including Panama and Belize, exported $8.335 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2000, but imported $11.547 billion. The trade deficit is more than offset by billions of dollars sent back by Central American immigrants living and working in the United States.
Bush, who left Lima, Peru, on Sunday morning after the first visit to that Andean nation by a sitting U.S. president, stayed five hours in El Salvador before leaving for Washington. |
