Embassy Row

Embassy Row

Email | Print | Subscribe

Click-2-Listen

By James Morrison
December 10, 2007

'Macho' politicians

President Felipe Calderon of Mexico is so upset with the tone of the American presidential campaign, especially the candidates' views on illegal aliens, that he ordered Mexican diplomats across the United States to take action.

Mr. Calderon, in a message to Mexico's consulates in 17 states, urged his diplomats to "neutralize" what he called the "swaggering, macho and anti-Mexican" rhetoric that he is hearing from the campaign trail.

He told consular officers to host public events to discuss U.S.-Mexico relations and promote Mexico's point of view to counter the "seeds of animosity" against the millions of Mexicans living illegally in the United States.

"The key is to neutralize this strategy of confrontation and discrimination that forms part of U.S. society's mistaken perception, and be able to newly focus arguments on the complementary aspects of our economies," he said.

Diplomatic traffic

Foreign visitors in Washington this week include:

Today

Click-2-Listen

> >

Munich Hotel