Marcy Kaptur: “the Bush administration announced this week it will be sending to the Congress for approval the Colombia Free Trade…”

“the Bush administration announced this week it will be sending to the Congress for approval the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. And the American people might ask, Colombia? Now? In 2008? What about the District of Columbia and getting gas prices lower here in our Nation's capital? Or what about more fairly priced student loans for the next generation who are attempting to improve their opportunities for the years ahead? Or what about dealing with mortgage foreclosures in the United States, which are at epidemic levels in places like Ohio and Michigan and Florida and California? No. The President sends us something to help another country. 'Colombia Free Trade,' they call it. Well, I would like to say to the American people tear the veneer off the agreement and look below it, and what you will find is crude. Oil. What this agreement really is about is more imported petroleum from one of the most undemocratic places in the world. Colombia about 10 years ago was actually a net importer of oil. But today it is the fourth leading oil producer in South America. In fact, oil, rock/crude, has become Colombia's leading export product, and guess whom they send most of it to? You've got it right. The United States of America.…”