I sit down to write in a spirit of regret and of hope. Regret, because in the field of U.S.-Latin American relations, so much ground has been lost; and hope, because I have the honor to address a person who can set it right.
Mr. President-elect, your country is not only built on the ideals of liberty and equality, but it also possesses the power and wealth to make those ideals a reality. As we look at our world today, however, it is obvious that this opportunity has been squandered. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson called the U.S. “the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed grounds.”
Any president from either party who is serious about change, and believes in the potential of which Johnson spoke, will be serious about making up for lost time…
