Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I rise today to talk about Latin America. I think this has been highlighted by the President's trip there and the focus…”

“I rise today to talk about Latin America. I think this has been highlighted by the President's trip there and the focus the President is putting on Latin America. It is so important that we not forget our own hemisphere and some of the problems we are facing in our hemisphere. President Bush, of course, is in Mexico right now. He is holding discussions with Mexican President Calderone. Immigration, reducing poverty, fighting drugs, and strengthening our economic relationship are all items on the agenda. This is the President's final stop on a five-nation trip that included Brazil, Uruguay, Columbia, and Guatemala. But the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, has been conducting his own tour, deliberately instigating protests and riots to disrupt the President's peaceful mission. It is very important that we focus on Mr. Chavez and what is happening in South America because it will affect the stability of our whole hemisphere. The problem starts in Venezuela, a nation which once enjoyed 50 years of democratic traditions but now is in the early stages of a dictatorship.”