Fox calls Bush "Jorge" (my title)

Reuters ^

[madrussian]

By RON FOURNIER, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mexican President Vicente Fox (news - web sites), the first state visitor of the Bush presidency, challenged the United States on Wednesday to strike an agreement on immigration by year's end. President Bush (news - web sites) said ``there is no more important relationship'' than with Mexico but did not embrace Fox's ambitious deadline.

The public challenge stunned U.S. officials who have been trying to lower expectations for a deal on the complex and politically risky issue that could legalize millions of undocumented Mexicans. Even some Mexican officials said they had no notice that Fox would push for quick action.

The two-day state visit, an important political event to both Bush and Fox, began promptly at 9:30 a.m. EDT when a military band struck up a Sousa march and the two presidents strolled shoulder to shoulder onto the White House back lawn. Military honor guards stood stone-faced as their battle ribbons, jostled atop flag poles by a cool wind, whipped at their faces.

Bush, hoping to court Hispanic voters for his 2004 re-election bid, said Wednesday's formal welcoming ceremony, one-on-one Oval Office session, rare joint Cabinet meeting and state dinner - along with his and Fox's joint trip Thursday to Ohio - amounted to a ``recognition that the United States has no more important relationship in the world.''

With all the pageantry a president can muster, Bush welcomed Fox to what he called the ``Casa Blanca'' and said, ``We understand that our two nations must work together in a spirit of respect and common purpose to seize opportunities and tackle challenges on the issues that affect the lives of our citizens, including migration, the environment, drugs, crime, corruption and education.''

That included just a glancing reference to the issue that dominates U.S.-Mexican relations: What should be done with the 3 million or so illegal Mexican immigrants who want legal status in America, and millions more in Mexico who want to cross the 2,000-mile border? The president wants an undetermined number of illegal immigrants to become legal.

A joint statement being released Thursday as Bush and Fox tour a Hispanic community center in Toledo, Ohio, commits the pair to forging a ``realistic approach to migration'' that respects ``the human dignity of all migrants, regardless of their (legal) status.''

With a dozen anti-immigration protesters outside the White House gates, Bush and first lady Laura Bush threw Fox an intimate state dinner with an extraordinary finale of fireworks on the South Lawn.

Raising a glass of 7-Up, the teetotaling Bush toasted Fox ``friend to friend, partner to partner, neighbor to neighbor.'' Fox returned the compliment, calling Bush ``Jorge'' and someone he trusts to take action on the immigration problem.

Bush's trip to Mexico in February raised hopes in both countries that an agreement would come quickly, but the leaders have sounded more cautious in recent weeks as congressional conservatives raised objections.

On the eve of their meetings, Bush said the complexity of the issue bars a quick deal and acknowledged that he has ``a lot more selling to do'' in Congress. Fox said Sunday it would take four to six years to complete a comprehensive U.S.-Mexican immigration overhaul.

Flanked by Bush in front of the Truman Balcony, Fox seemed to set a more aggressive timetable.

``We must and we can reach an agreement on migration before the end of this very year which will allow us, before the end of our respective terms, to make sure that there are no Mexicans who have not entered this country legally in the United States and that those Mexicans who have come into the country do so with the proper documents,'' said Fox. His term ends in 2006.

Fox appeared to be calling for an agreement that would be ready for consideration by the respective legislatures of the two countries before the end of the year. But U.S. officials have said that details such as timetables and the numbers of Mexicans who would be eligible have not yet been broached.

Fox believes Mexicans in the United States are not being treated fairly. He says U.S laws should be amended so that migrants receive health, education and labor rights and can work without fear of deportation.

Several administration officials said afterward they would have preferred to avoid the added pressure of a public deadline. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is impossible to predict whether a comprehensive agreement can be reached this year, given the unease in Congress and fluidity of the talks.

Bush, asked whether he thought Fox's timetable was too ambitious, pretended not to understand the question and joked in Spanish, ``I can't hear.''

His national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), said it would be nice to reach an agreement by year's end, but cautioned, ``The president shares the desire to do it quickly, but to get it right.'' Bush and Fox will release broad outlines of their immigration goals while touring a Hispanic community center in Toledo on Thursday.

Prodding Bush, House Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said he hopes to pass a bill during Fox's visit that would extend by a year the deadline for illegal immigrants to apply for visas.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., chairman of the congressional immigration reform caucus, said the prospects are not good for congressional approval of legislation that would legalize undocumented Mexican aliens.

People should not be rewarded who ``forget about American law, sneak into the country and avoid detection,'' he said.

Bush has acknowledged such concerns, but nonetheless says it would be in the nation's interest to match hardworking Mexicans with American employers.

Fox's remarks reflected the political pressures he faces at home to strike an agreement with Bush. He hopes to quiet critics in Mexico who say he promised much during his landmark election campaign and has delivered little.

[sarcasm]

GOOD GOSH PEOPLE...GET A GRIP!! Our President knows exactly what he is doing! IN all the time I've been a freeper here, I have never seen so many freepers so up tight, mean spirited, insulting to a particular race before.

1. Mexican is not a race.
2. Your statement about being mean-spirited could have come from the mouth of a democrat.
3. I hope that you enjoy paying $ 30 BILLION annually to provide government benefits to these lawbreakers.
4. Bush will destroy the Republican party if he proceeds with this inane policy.

[Ditto]

So how did the moneyless Central American Illegals get past the Mexican Border patrol and hundreds of miles North to invade America?

Who said they are 'moneyless'? Poor maybe, but their entire family or village will save to send a member 'North'. What they can make and save in a month in the US to send home is more than they can make in a year there. And getting by the Mexican border patrol is no big trick. It only takes pennies.

If I were stuck in some hell hole down there, I'd head North too.

[madrussian]

Meanwhile, legally red/white/blue brown skins here with a Mexican last name are getting a little touchy about the Mexican bashing, saying rightfully that if INS ever raided the Irish bars in Santa Monica California, raided for Brits/Aussies/Kiwis they could fill a bus. Good point.

Only a bus? How many buses can they fill with illegal Mexicans? Can you characterize the problem of illegal immigration by Brits/Aussies/Kiwis as serious? Can you do the same for Mexicans? See the difference?

[anniegetyourgun]

I wouldn't want to destroy the tone, dontchaknow.

[Ditto]

May I remind people that the United States (New England) was a penal colony before independence?

Where in the hell did you get that piece of misinformation.

[madrussian]

If I were stuck in some hell hole down there, I'd head North too.

What's up with all the advocates of illegal immigration confessing to being ready to commit a crime?

[L.N. Smithee]

Try thinking with your mind AND YOUR HEART use a little empathy, and reflect on what Jesus would do.

Jesus would never be in politics.

[FRlurker]

bump

[anniegetyourgun]

You're right....He just "sets above nations whom He will"...

[KirklandJunction]

From Santa Monica they'd have a tough time filling a bus with illegal Mexicans. Go look yourself. Central Americans maybe.

Serious? If you're a 'murican trying to get a job in an Irish-style bar, you don't have a chance. Is that serious?

If your criteria is "illegal", then any illegal is serious. If your criteria is "Mexican", or "brown skin" then you have a whole different set of problems.

You might be getting real close to chasing Mexicans rather than chasing illegals.

Do your thing.

[madrussian]

Two Amigos, Bush and Fox, Go to Toledo, Ohio

By Randall Mikkelsen

TOLEDO, Ohio (Reuters) - Two amigos came to Toledo on Thursday. Traveling to Ohio was President Bush (news - web sites)'s way of showing his state visitor, Mexican President Vicente Fox (news - web sites), a quintessential part of America beyond Washington.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said the visit here was meant to highlight the close bilateral relationship, in an area with a growing Hispanic population. The two leaders were to address Hispanic groups.

``Compared to American history of not treating Mexico well and not treating Mexico with respect, this is a wonderful departure from a long tradition that has too many ups and downs,'' Fleischer said.

Bush gave his visitor a brief birdseye tour of Washington in the presidential helicopter, before the pair flew to Toledo aboard Air Force One.

Bush also met with Marcy Kaptur, Toledo's congressional representative and one of the most vociferous opponents of the NAFTA trade pact with Mexico and Canada. She said she pressed her case for continent-wide wage and labor standards.

Toledo has substantial and growing Hispanic population, estimated at about 4.5 percent of Kaptur's district.

Upon returning to Washington, Fox was to play host to Bush at a dinner at Blair House, the guest residence across the street from the White House.

Despite evident differences on immigration, the two leaders appeared to be getting along famously, further cementing Bush's strongest relationship with a foreign leader.

Bush, at a joint news conference with Fox on the White House South Lawn, the Marine One helicopter waiting nearby to carry them to Andrews Air Force Base, made clear in a delicate way that having an immigration reform deal by the end of the year would be hard to do.

Fox would like by the end of the year congressional support for an agreement to allow an estimated 3 million undocumented Mexicans to live and work in the United States legally. But the politically thorny proposal has raised opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

The nettlesome issue of the undocumented Mexicans is one of the most difficult issues separating the two neighbors who share a long border, including the southern border of Texas, Bush's home state.

Bush pledged a ``100 percent effort during the year, and I hope we can come up with a solution.''

``I want to accommodate my friend. He's got a very important role to play. And that is, as a spokesman for Mexican nationals living in this country, as someone who's deeply concerned about their future, their lives, and I completely understand that,'' Bush said.

Bush and Fox dined together on pumpkin-seed encrusted bison at a spicy, Southwestern-flavored state dinner on Wednesday night -- the first held under the new Bush White House.

``We not only have in common that we wear boots, Western boots. We not only have in common that we like to go to rest to our farms. We have in common that we like to see things happen,'' Fox said in his dinner toast.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

There are many bilingual Spanish speakers in the States with very healthy careers.

Your pronunciation attempt at "Jorge" is far from the real thing. And there is oil in their country and no environmentalist wackos. ¡Hasta la vista!

[Ditto]

What's up with all the advocates of illegal immigration confessing to being ready to commit a crime?

1. I do not 'advocate' illegal immigration.

2. Commit a crime by spending 12 hours a day stooped over in California fields or sweating your ass off taring a roof in South Carolina for less than minimum wage? Or stay home and watch your kids go hungry?

How law abiding are you?

Don't blame the immigrants. Blame the corrupt despots in their own countries that give them the incentives to leave home for a hostile land where they have to work like dogs.

[madrussian]

If your criteria is "illegal", then any illegal is serious. If your criteria is "Mexican", or "brown skin" then you have a whole different set of problems.

You might be getting real close to chasing Mexicans rather than chasing illegals.

Serious means "number of illegal immigrants", obviously. How long are you going to play dumb and pretend that it's not Mexico that is the main source of illegal immigration in the US and point towards some mythical Irish bars teaming with illegals and compare that with millions of illegal Mexicans who have their president in the US to lobby for their legalization.

You might be getting close to Jesse Jackson and race-baiting rather than topic at hand.

[madrussian]

Your pronunciation attempt at "Jorge" is far from the real thing.

Is it Whore-geh then?

[Republic]

Republyn: I BET that you would be the FIRST to walk through 500 miles of hot desert, cross a border into a country whose language you do not speak, take ANY job available to FEED your hungry family if your own nation was suffering and had no jobs to offer.

madrussian:You are insulting honest people here by suggesting that they would commit a crime. You are defending criminals who invade this country against the wishes of its population and leech off taxpayers-funded services. You have no shame!

And you have no heart nor do you have the ability to grasp the greater good, the 'down the road' benefits to all by helping a bordering nation grow in economic health with a solid dose of friendhip thrown in for good measure.

[L.N. Smithee]

Mr. Fox made an EXCELLENT speech in Ohio this afternoon over the future of Mexico. Truly it was very inspiring and full of vision for his country. Hopefully someone will post the transcript.

Why don't you find it and post it, because I have yet to hear Fox do anything but imply that somehow Mexican immigrants have earned the right to citizenship, free education, drivers' licenses and more because they are industrious workers and perform menial tasks that others won't. I have just seen him up the ante apropo of nothing at a state dinner by forcing Bush to say yea or nay to formalizing reform by the end of the year.

However, I have NOT heard Fox make a single suggestion as to what it is that HE will do to make his country one that Mexicans don't want to leave -- at least not a suggestion that doesn't involve the United States' surrendering its resources first. And Bush sure doesn't want to bring that subject up -- he seems to just pretend the only people that could possibly object are people that should be ignored, because he's sure doing a good job of that. Who's running this show? Doesn't seem like it's Bush!

If Fox has a great vision for his country, I don't know what it is -- all I know is that he is continually making demands on OUR country. Next time you hear him speak, ask yourself, "What's in it for the USA?" and see if you get in his words anything close to an answer.

Which one is President of The United States?

[Mercuria]

I'd walk 500 miles across a desert, cross a border, take any job I could find in order to feed my hungry family, as well. Who here would not?

I wouldn't.

It would be breaking the law to enter a foreign country with the intent of staying there permanently without going through the legal channels that would permit me to be there.

These lawbreakers are treated with a tremendous amount of civility here, and their proponents actually demand that we be more "compassionate" while saying absofrickinlutely nothing about the evidence that a lot of these invaders have no desire or intention of becoming citizens.

And I wish the pro-open borders crowd would quit using liberal knee-jerk emotion debates to subterfuge the fact that "Mexicans are starving! They're only here to make a better life for themselves, and they're entitled to it!" It's such a major crock. Mexico isn't Somalia. Mexico's economy is not suffering from anything except the mismanagement of its corrupt government...which seems to be in no hurry to reform or change for the better.

If Fox is doing nothing to improve their lot in their own country, he should hardly be wined, dined, and treated as some form of Mexican savior. If his own people won't put the screws to him to shape up their nation, that shouldn't be made OUR problem.

His barking orders at us as if we are to be lackeys to his brand of "compassion" makes him a Zedillo clone.

Of course, it's a lot easier for illegal aliens to steal from our citizens than it would if they remained in their own countries and swiped from their neighbors...or their government.

Try going down to Mexico and breaking a law or two. Steal from their government. Then come back and tell me what a great reform job Vicente is doing.

"Billy...have you ever been in a Mexican jail?"

[madrussian]

1. I do not 'advocate' illegal immigration.

Uhuh, you just don't see anything wrong with it.

2. Commit a crime by spending 12 hours a day stooped over in California fields or sweating your ass off taring a roof in South Carolina for less than minimum wage? Or stay home and watch your kids go hungry?

Uhuh, there is nothing wrong with breaking American laws. It's for the children! What a nice Democrat we have in our midst!

How law abiding are you?

More than you, obviously. And much less gullible to buy rationalization from illegals parasites.

Don't blame the immigrants. Blame the corrupt despots in their own countries that give them the incentives to leave home for a hostile land where they have to work like dogs.

Sure, someone else made them commit a crime, a favorite excuse for criminals of all kinds, American-born included. The society is to blame, blah, blah, blah. And who do you call a corrupt despot? Jorge Bush's friend Vinny?

[Republic]

Jesus would never be in politics.

Oh-sure he was. When he lost it and blew the lid off the psycho pharisees, the power brokers in the temples who has allowed the temples to be defiled with unworthy activities, money changing, etc, he was marching into the beast of the body politic. And he mentioned the need for us to pray for our leaders and ya know, it's a powerful open path when you speak to our Father about our leaders....L.N., I know the gist of what you said...and I agree that Jesus would probably not have been attending a state dinner, lol, but I bet he would be praying to his Father (our Father) about guiding our President and keeping him safe, etc. But....we digress from the topic at hand.