Everything's more laid back in the Caribbean, mon! Which is probably a good thing. Would love to be there right now myself.Obama really impressed Latin American leaders at the recent Summit of the Americas, held in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. What caught my eye in particular was the title of a book that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (who once called George W. Bush "the devil"--ha!) gave to Obama. Titled "The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" by Eduardo Galeano, it was on my required reading list for a course I took for my master's degree!
Who knows if Obama will actually read it, but I would like to know what he thinks. Personally, I didn't care for it. Yes, I did learn a lot, but I thought the author was way too skewed toward an extreme socialist/communist viewpoint. It was difficult to figure out what was true and what was his opinion. Really no different than reading something from a more capitalist approach.
- But Chavez certainly seemed to have a crush on Obama, and they kept shaking hands. Easy fellas! Chavez said he was even going to restore Venezuela's ambassador to the U.S. ("my people will call your people!"). Aw, that's nice.
- Evo Morales of Bolivia wasn't having any of the love-in, however. Sounds like he needs to consult with those shamans who "endorsed" Obama during the election.
- Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega was polite but, apparently, still bitter over what former U.S. prez Ronald Reagan did to him.
- And Raul Castro is obviously feelin' the love from Obama, as the two have made tentative baby steps toward normalizing U.S./Cuban relations.
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