In First Foreign Foray, Obama Heading to Latin America

[babylonsister]

In First Foreign Foray, Obama Heading to Latin America

By Jeff Stein | January 21, 2009 11:34 AM


In what seems like a surprise move, President Obama's first public diplomatic initiatives are aimed not at the Middle East, but South America.

Obama plans to attend an April 17 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, which may turn out to be his international debut as ambassador-in-chief of the United States.

The new president is also expected to back the reintroduction of a ''Western Hemisphere Energy Compact'' bill (S.1007), sponsored by Senators Richard G. Lugar, R-Ill., and Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., to reduce dependence on Middle East oil, before heading to the Caribbean island nation in three months.

But despite campaign rhetoric about calming tensions through unconditional talks with hostile adversaries, Obama's remarks in a little noticed interview have already put him on a collision course at the summit with Venezuela's sulphuric president, Hugo Chavez.

more...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/spytalk/2009/01/in-first-foreign-foray-obama-h.html

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Knife fight with Chavez!

:woohoo:

[POR]

3. No Need.

Chavez, while a bombastic public figure, is a logical man, who sits on the 2nd biggest oil reserve in the western hemisphere.

Obama should be able to find common ground with chavez on some issues, and at the lease convince him that he is no longer a US target for overthrow (as the Bush regime attempted)

Diplomacy. Isn't it a novel concept.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Thanks for setting me straight.

[DrZeeLit]

2. Wait a minute.... what happened to Canada? I thought it was Canada next month?

Oh. Yeah.

Canada is not a foreign country.