Ted Poe: “This is an important resolution. It puts the United States on record as to where we stand in our part of the world when…”

“This is an important resolution. It puts the United States on record as to where we stand in our part of the world when it comes to democracy and in supporting our allies. Colombia is an ally of the United States. When I was in Colombia in April, down in the jungle with the narcotics police--with General Patino--helping and watching how they fight the cartels and FARC, I learned from the Colombians that they like Americans, not just their government but the people of Colombia. Yet that is not universally true in South America. There are a lot of folks who don't care much for the United States, but the Colombian people are our allies, not only politically, but also, they like Americans for who we are. They support us, and we should support them. It was a good day for democracy when President Santos was elected this past weekend. We should show Colombia and the rest of the world that we support this democracy in South America. We should also support the Colombian-American Free Trade Agreement. This is an important agreement to show that we mean business in supporting another democracy.”