Joint Statement of the Alliance for Responsible Trade (U.S.) and RECALCA (Colombia) This week, Republican presidential candidate John McCain will visit Cartagena, Colombia to express his continued support for embattled Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, and to promote the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which was put on indefinite hold over the serious human rights concerns of many in the U.S. Congress. Mr. McCain will no doubt use this visit to attempt to convince U.S. voters that, with regard to foreign and economic policy, he has the experience and judgment necessary to govern the United States for the next four years. However, his wholesale embrace of the Bush Administration’s policy toward Colombia will win him little support among U.S. voters and will further alienate the citizens of Latin America who want to see real change in Washington. read more