Our smart diplomacy under President Obama aims to build on that. Let the building begin:
Brazil has become a major U.S. trading partner, with cautious economic policies that have helped it weather the crisis better than almost all other major economies. With huge new offshore oil finds and abundant ethanol, Brazil could be key to helping wean the U.S. off Venezuelan crude and shift to cleaner energies.
Still, the White House made several moves interpreted as snubs by the Brazilian media.Silva aides said the trip was pushed forward from Tuesday because of the St. Patrick's Day holiday — making Latin America once again look like an afterthought. Then, the White House announcement misspelled his name as "Luis Ignacio" and put "Lula" — a nickname that decades ago became a legal part of the Brazilian leader's name — in quotes.
The White House quickly corrected the mistake.
Add this to the file, "Imagine the press mockery if Bush had done this."
Or should it be added to the "Hillary Clinton wants to run for president in 2012" file?
That might explain a lot, actually.
