As President Bush called for democratic change in Cuba last week, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson addressed UCLA students on Wednesday, proposing a plan to mend relations with some Latin American countries.
Richardson criticized the Bush administration’s alienation of countries like Cuba and Venezuela and called for diplomatic outreach to both.
“Anti-Americanism is growing at an alarming rate across the region,” Richardson said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Through neglect we have turned many of our natural allies into fair-weather friends and outright enemies.”
Richardson’s strategies included adding a Latin American country to the U.N. Security Council, and taking a new approach to illegal immigration.
“Illegal immigration is an economic problem,” Richardson said. “If we want to stop illegal immigration, we need to promote equitable economic development in Latin America. There’s no way around it.”
The governor played up his international experience in Iowa and New Hampshire as well, releasing a new ad showing U.S. contract workers who were captured by a Saddam Hussein-led Iraqi government. They were released after Richardson traveled to Iraq in 1995 for negotiations.
Richardson also proudly bragged about being the only Democratic candidate given an ‘A’ rating by the NRA at an appearance in Las Vegas before a plumbers union.
“I’m a sportsman, like you,” he said.
In response to the California wildfire crisis this week, Richardson sent fire trucks and firefighters from New Mexico to assist in fighting the blaze. His campaign donated $10,000 to the Red Cross relief efforts.
Richardson will appear in a DNC-sanctioned debate sponsored by NBC on Tuesday at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa.
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