Bush meets with Socialist president of Uruguay

[Judi Lynn]

Bush meets with Socialist president of Uruguay
By Maura Reynolds, Times Staff Writer
8:57 AM PST, March 10, 2007


Estancia Anchorena, Uruguay -- President Bush, seeking firmer allies in Latin America, paid a visit today to the smallest country in South America, praising Uruguay for its robust economy and democratic traditions.

President Tabare Vazquez, despite being a Socialist and an opponent of the war in Iraq, has sought closer trade ties with Washington in part to gain leverage against its much larger neighbors, Brazil and Argentina.
(snip)

Vazquez hosted Bush at his presidential retreat in the rolling ranchlands west of the capital, Montevideo. The terrain is more lush and temperate than the arid savannah surrounding Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

"In my state of Texas, when you invite someone to your estancia, it's a sign of respect," Bush said, using the Spanish word for ranch.
(snip/...)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bush11mar11,1,2799964.story?coll=la-headlines-world



Tabaré Vásquez and Bush



Los presidentes Tabaré Vásquez (Uruguay), Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Nicanor Duarte (Paraguay) y Evo Morales (Bolivia) aparecen reunidos en Asunción el miércoles 19. Allí Chávez anunció que su país saldrá de la Comunidad Andina de Naciones (CAN).
Foto: Jorge Adorno / REUTERS

[EFerrari]

1. There he goes, embarrassing us AGAIN.

Fuera, Bush! :mad:

[shain from kane]

2. Dusted off A. Lincoln picture for Bush*; Che Guevera picture for the other guy.

[David__77]

6. No contradiction.

Lincoln was a pretty progressive figure, certainly for a US leader.

[Vidar]

3. Fortunately, meeting with our ass-in-chief is virtually

guaranteed to shove anyone in the opposite direction. Nice of him to do Chavez' work for him.

[Bitwit1234]

4. Republican spin on bush protest in Latin America

The republicans are saying that Chavez is paying ALL these people to show up where ever bush appears and protest. Darn, you mean he is spending all that money so people will just protest bush. I think most of them that are protesting, want to do it so bad, THEY would pay to protest.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Makes you wonder how they explain the angry protest in Caracas

in 1958 when Richard Nixon showed up there! I doubt Hugo Chavez had even been born then, but if he had been, he probably was responsible, right?

Poor, sick, stupid Republicans. They embarrass us all when they attempt to think.

If they only took the time that's needed to start finding out the facts, they wouldn't be Republicans any longer.

That is such an outlandish idea, it's beyond stupid. How would he pay all these people? How would he set this all up without the press ever finding out about it? I guess he'd have to be like a Venezuelan Santa Claus, never sleeping, and going into everyone's house at night to leave money for participating in protests all over South America. Idiots.

[Lisa]

7. yeah -- a jolly man in a red suit!

Venezuela would have to be raking in more oil profits than the rest of OPEC combined, to be able to shell out cash to pay off crowds that size. (And of the hundreds of thousands of people being bribed, why aren't we hearing from lots of witnesses? Unless they are all intensely loyal to Chavez ... which would kind of make the bribery redundant, anyway.)