Some media outlets are reporting President Bush’s upcoming trip to Latin America and the millions of dollars he’s promising for the region as a way for him to lose guilt for ignoring the area.

He said the United States will spend tens of millions of dollars to improve education, housing and health care across the region.
“The United States of America is committed to helping people rise out of poverty,” the president said.
Many children in Latin America do not finish grade school and many mothers never see a doctor, Bush said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Building to about 400 invited guests, most of them members of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“In an age of growing prosperity and abundance, this is a scandal and it is a challenge,” Bush said.
The speech came three days before the president leaves on a weeklong trip to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.

Note the countries he will not be visiting. Venezuela and Bolivia for example; countries whose presidents have been critical (to put it mildly) of Bush’s foreign policy. Officially, the U.S. aid dollars will be used towards “humanitarian” efforts such as health care and helping students improve their English (huh?) looking historically at previous U.S. aid packages for Latin America, most aid has strings attached including allowing U.S. big business more unfettered access in the region. More likely, Bush’s trip and the money that comes with it are a result of a growing left leaning politic in the region that looks at U.S. policy as imperialism.

People and organizations are in the countries on Bush’s tour are readying themselves to protest the visit.

Via / CNN.com and La Prensa Latina