Viva Bush!!!!!!

Too little too late.

Hey Hoser,

Now that you mention it... I've seen countless Che t-shirts in Guatemala, many Oscar Romero t-shirts... heck, I've even seen hundreds of Homer Simpson t-shirts. But I have never ever seen a single t-shirt that said "Viva Bush!" on it. Hmm, wonder why that is?

BushSucks BushSucks (sorry, I like your screen name so much that I had to say it twice).

Too little, too late... too right!

If I were Mexican President Calderon I would've said to Bush "Uh, yeah. Thanks for your offer Señor Bush, but we saw how you "helped" New Orleans and frankly we'd rather go it alone. But gracias anyway, eh?"

I have to say as an American I am sad to see how much damage this administration has done with regards to international affairs. Previous to this administration my understanding is that our relationship with Central America was much better than it is today and that is truly unfortunate. I especially have a special place in my heart for Guatemala since I am adopting a child from there.

ditto for the New Orleans comment - Bush has his head so far up his . . . . . . uhmm.

FEMA, anyone?

If I recall correctly, didn't Mexican actually sent help (water, food, medicine and doctors) to New Orleans once they realized the good old USA was not quick enough to help all those victims of Katrina.

Bush has had "his moments" of hesitation and broken compass where his eyesight is just plain lost: 9/11 as documented by Moore and and Katrina.

Maybe he learnt something about president from Calderón... you run back home before the catastrophe, not afterwards.

Hey Bushsucks,

Because U.S.-Guatemalan history is what it is, there really isn't a whole lotta love for the United States Government. (Guatemalans are always quick to point out, however, that this doesn't affect their amiable feelings towards the people of the U.S.)

President Clinton did earn the respect and admiration of many Guatemalans, though, when he visited in 1999. He issued a formal apology to Guatemala for the U.S.'s role in backing a brutal counter-terrorism campaign that caused the deaths of thousands of civilians in Guatemala's civil war.

Clinton said: 'It is important that I state clearly that support for military forces or intelligence units which engaged in violent and widespread repression of the kind described in the report was wrong. And the United States must not repeat that mistake. We must and we will instead continue to support the peace and reconciliation process in Guatemala."

Clinton's statements marked the first substantive comment from the administration since an independent commission concluded last month that U.S.-backed security forces committed the vast majority of human rights abuses during the war, including torture, kidnapping and the murder of thousands of rural Mayans.

{sources: The Washington Post and The Guardian}

Clinton's comments were well-received, and viewed as a rare sign of contrition by the world's most powerful nation. Needless to say that the Bush administration, with its arrogant attitude of self-righteous military might, has undone any lingering sense of goodwill and international solidarity.

The best we can hope for (until November 2008, anyway) is that we as individuals can build bridges of friendship and understanding between the people of these two wonderful countries. In that regard, I wish you the very best of luck with your adoption! Your family can be a living example of that bridge-building!

Rudy,

You're right... the Mexican government was one of the very first to respond to the Katrina disaster. Mexico sent 125 doctors, nurses and engineers. The equipment included water treatment plants, mobile kitchens, blankets and hundreds of tons of food. They also provided ships, buses and helicopters to assist in rescue missions.

As far as Bush "learning something" from Calderón... yeah, I wouldn't put any money on that bet!