Posted on 11/10/2006 8:23:08 AM PST by Graybeard58
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon pledged Thursday to work closely on pressing bilateral issues ranging from trade and border security to migration, which Bush said remains a top priority for his administration.
After their meeting -- the first between the two -- Bush told reporters, " I assured the president-elect that the words I said . . . about a comprehensive immigration vision are words that I still believe strongly."
Calderon added, "We both understand that the only solution to many of the problems that we have is to create well-paid jobs in Mexico."
He described the meeting as "very cordial, respectful, frank and very constructive."
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza predicted that the two leaders "will enjoy a positive and constructive relationship based not only on the obvious chemistry . . . but more importantly on their commitment to shared values like democracy, creating economic opportunity, reducing poverty, and the safety and security of our two countries."
Still, while the two leaders appeared upbeat, privately some observers said the men are far from becoming two amigos, a phrase coined to describe the friendship between Bush and outgoing Mexican President Vicente Fox.
The meeting comes at a vulnerable time for the two men, both of whom face pressing domestic issues. Washington's political landscape shifted after Tuesday's election, meaning that Bush must work with a Congress led by Democrats. And in Mexico, Calderon must deal with several important issues, including a smoldering crisis in the southern state of Oaxaca and violence from the country's growing drug war, which has left more than 1,800 people dead this year.
Three bombs exploded this week in Mexico City, and on Thursday, Mexican authorities discovered bomb-making material in the central state of Guanajuato.
Additionally, Calderon's presidential challenger, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, far from conceding defeat, will proclaim himself president on Nov. 20th and is expected to name a cabinet on Saturday. More than a dozen Lopez Obrador supporters heckled Calderon throughout his visit to Washington.
Calderon's trip was marked by muted optimism that with Democrats in charge, an immigration accord is possible.
"I was strongly struck by President Bush's comments where he said that the new Congress could open new possibilities of understanding," Calderon said, adding, "This is a very interesting moment" for both countries to pursue the issue of comprehensive migration.
But while a Democrat-led Congress is likely to be more sympathetic to a guest-worker program that Bush favors, pushing for legalization for immigrants will still prove a tough sell, analysts said Thursday.
"These are moderate Democrats who ran in Republican districts and won," said Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates restrictions on immigration. "Asking these guys to go back to their districts and tell their constituents that they favor amnesty (for immigrants) will be tough."
I like to be in America!
O.K. by me in America!
Ev'rything free in America
For a small fee in America!
I like the shores of America!
Comfort is yours in America!
Knobs on the doors in America,
Wall-to-wall floors in America!
Not one mile of fence will be built.
Well, we'll just have to remember this come the next Presidential election, when our choice is between someone beholden to Big Business's hunger for cheap labor, and someone else beholden to Big Business's hunger for cheap labor. It'd be nice if there was a third choice, but that would interfere with the chances of our preferred candidate beholden to Big Business's hunger for cheap labor getting elected.
"After their meeting -- the first between the two -- Bush told reporters, " I assured the president-elect that the words I said . . . about a comprehensive immigration vision are words that I still believe strongly."
Oh yeah, any Bushbots still around to sing praise??
They are. They are sending it all here.
Shhhhhhhhhh, this is no place for rational talk.
I'll take 'Anyone and Everyone Qualifies' for $1,000, Alex.
I agree and he is no longer our Party leader either. A great Commander in Chief, a lousy Pub for this election cycle.
Viva American Union! Viva United Nations!
Here's the kicker, I had enough goods on Harry Reid to raise a big stink, but they were all too busy defending Jefferson and with their GOTV to care.
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