Columbia has long been a pilar of democracy, anti-drug cartels, and anti terror during the tenure of its remarkable and brave president, Alvo Uribe. Yet Nancy Pelosi nixed a vote on a free-trade agreement this summer for domestic political gain for her own party by siding with pro-union forces in America. Now can’t even be polite and give him a curtosy call on his visit

From IBD:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who arbitrarily iced Colombia’s free trade deal last April, refused to meet Uribe and didn’t acknowledge a White House invitation to an event in his honor. Later, her staff regally complained that Uribe didn’t call her.

This is part of a pattern. For years, Pelosi has insulted, slighted, road blocked and now ignored Uribe, the most valuable ally the U.S. has ever had in Latin America. Her motives are constantly shifting.

One minute she’s complaining about human rights abuses in Colombia, despite an 86% drop in the murder rate of union activists. Then she says it’s all about passing stimulus packages first. The common thread is serving Big Labor special interests at election time.

This is what passes for Democratic leadership these days. Uribe urged nonpartisanship in considering Colombia’s case for free trade, but lesser Democrats were just as craven and irresponsible as Pelosi.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama only grudgingly permitted Uribe to talk with him by telephone, afterward disclosing no news about why he still opposes cutting tariffs on American goods to Colombia as the free trade pact provides. Nor did he make any public statements, seemingly to make the call go unnoticed.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who’s fond of junketing to the luxury locales in South America, had no time to repay the hospitality to Uribe. And two Democrats held out as Latin experts, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, couldn’t give Uribe the time of day.

And isn’t it the Democrats with Obama lecturing us that because of George Bush, we’ve lost standing with our allies?

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