Thread: Calderon to address joint session

Calderon to address joint session

Mexican president Felipe Calderon will address a joint session of Congress May 19 amid drug violence in Mexico and a push by the Obama administration to enact an overhaul of immigration law. The immigration push is unlikely to get very far in Congress; despite much agitation, it is primarily a political payback to Latinos who are now a critical Democratic constituency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a warm wlcome to "our neighbor and friend," looking forward to hearing his views on border towns and organized crime.

"Our countries may be separated by a border, but we share much in common -- our values of faith, family, and love of our respective countries," Pelosi said in a statement, noting that more than 12 percent of Americans are of Mexican ancestry. "Relations with Mexico are of utmost importance to the United States. President Calderon's address to Congress will provide us with a renewed opportunity to strengthen our bonds of friendship, discuss our shared challenges, and embrace common opportunities."

The last Mexican president to address a joint session was Vicente Fox in 2001. Former President George W. Bush made a big push to liberalize immigration laws but after the late Sen. Ted Kennedy joined with moderate Republicans to get a bill through the Senate in 2006, House Republicans refused to take it up. Instead they launched a broad political attack against illegal immigration. The Bush White House considered this a fatal strategic error that would doom Republicans to an eternal minority. Obama will do everything he can to cement that perception.

Posted By: Carolyn Lochhead (Email) | April 14 2010 at 02:06 PM

www.sfgate.com

"Friends" do not dump their excess population here for Americans to take care of! And "friends" do not try to take advantage for their own gain, which apparently will be Calderon's mission.

Speak for yourself, Nancy!

Who's low-down idea was this? Must have been Obama. Michelle is probably down there delivering his personal invitation now as we speak.

The cabal of Obama, Pelosi and Reid will expect some fairy dust from Calderon - a failure with his own drug war and border control.
Here's a thought. How about if he comes to address Congress after his country is stable and prosperous?

Somebody better tell Pelosi, relations with her own 88% of non-Mexican citizens are of utmost importance to the United States not just those of some falsely preferred Mexican ancestry.

"Si se puede--Yes we can" Michelle Obama tells young in Mexico
By Sophie Nicholson (AFP) – 7 hours ago

MEXICO CITY — US First Lady Michelle Obama met with her Mexican counterpart, danced with children and sought to inspire students on Wednesday during a solo trip aimed at reinforcing close ties with Mexico.

"From the moment I arrived I felt like I was 'entre amigos' (between friends)," a beaming Michelle Obama told students at the Ibero-American university in Mexico City.

The US first lady earlier discussed the treatment of migrants and youth drug addiction with Margarita Zavala at the presidential Los Pinos palace, a White House statement said, in a nation reeling from drug-related violence in which more than 22,700 people have died since the end of 2006.

Zavala's husband President Felipe Calderon has received growing support from the Obama administration in his brutal drug war, and Michelle Obama's trip followed a string of high-level visits to Mexico.

On her first international solo outing, after a brief stop on Tuesday in Haiti to show support three months after its devastating earthquake, the US first lady underlined that her foreign agenda would focus on young people.

"All you have to do is believe in yourself," Michelle Obama said in a speech to Mexican students which highlighted her and her husband's "modest" backgrounds.

"Yes we can. Gracias," she concluded.

Dozens of children, some in wheelchairs, earlier performed music for the US first lady as she visited Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology.

"We're excited, even though we've performed before," said Maria Hernandez, a young violinist accompanying the choir.

Michelle Obama later jumped around and danced with children at a public elementary school funded by a US foundation, before hugging many of them.

"When it came for me to decide where to make my first solo international trip as the first lady, the choice was clear.. Mexico por supuesto (of course)," Obama said in her speech to students.

Some 12 million documented and undocumented Mexicans are estimated to live in the United States, which accounts for some 80 percent of Mexico's foreign trade.

The US first lady was due to dine with the Mexican presidential couple later Wednesday, and to meet with community youth leaders and US embassy employees in Mexico City on Thursday, before traveling to an event on childhood obesity in San Diego, California.

Her visit came as the United States was drawn further into Mexico's battle against violent drug gangs, particularly along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) US-Mexico border.

Three US consulate-linked employees were shot dead in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in March and attackers tossed a grenade at the consulate in the northeastern city of Nuevo Laredo last week, causing no injuries.

The US State Department on Monday updated a travel advisory for Mexico, including a warning against unnecessary travel to some border areas.

In a sign of strengthening US-Mexico relations, the Mexican president and his wife will be the guests of honor at the second White House state dinner of Barack Obama's presidency next month, and Calderon will make a speech to a joint session of the US Congress.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... NUdidOKzAw

Originally Posted by alleycat

Speak for yourself, Nancy!

Wonder if Pelosi would like to have a coming out party at her house?

can we make a citizens arrest of the president of mexico while he is in DC for aiding and abetting illegals and interfering with US laws

Originally Posted by jean

Calderon to address joint session

"Our countries may be separated by a border, but we share much in common -- our values of faith, family, and love of our respective countries," Pelosi said in a statement, noting that more than 12 percent of Americans are of Mexican ancestry.

In an interview with Michelle Obama in Mexico today, these were her words almost verbatim.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-5137--0-0.html

Why would we allow our congress to be addressed and possible influenced by the president of another country? Our legislators don't listen to us but they're prepared to listen to the Mexican president. Time for them all to go home, unemployed.