Capitalizing on his trip to Latin America this week, John McCain released a Spanish-language radio ad on Wednesday touting his support for a proposed free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States.
"Colombia Trade" (subscription), which is running on Spanish-language stations in Florida, features Tony Villamil, the state's former director of Tourism, Commerce and Economic Affairs, praising the Arizona senator for his support of the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.
"Colombia is Florida's third most important export market, and this trade agreement would create almost 5,000 new jobs," Villamil says in the ad. "John McCain supports the Colombian agreement, knows about our alliances with our hemisphere and understands our economy grows thanks to trade."
Villamil also takes a swipe at Barack Obama: "In this election, there are some that talk about revising the free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada and oppose the agreement with Colombia. This would hurt our economic future."
--McCain's tour showcasing his position in favor of free trade isn't restricted to south of the border, though.-->Last month, McCain visited Canada to show his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement -- and to criticize Obama for threatening to renegotiate it. The Illinois senator and other Democrats have attacked McCain for backing such trade agreements, arguing that they take jobs away from Americans.-- at home and will make it harder for the GOP candidate to gain votes in battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania because many people in those regions are employed in industries like manufacturing that have been traditionally outsourced to countries in Latin America. --> Obama also opposes the Colombian agreement on human rights grounds.
--While the ad's main focus is on the U.S. and Colombia trade relationship, the campaign is also courting Hispanic voters by eluding to the http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-03-McCain-Mexico_N.htm issue of immigration and suggesting that free trade agreements helps both citizens of the U.S. and abroad. "Remember who stands for prosperity in Florida, our country and our hemisphere. His name is John McCain," Villamil concludes in the ad.-->So far, McCain's efforts to garner support among Latinos have been unsuccessful. Recent polling shows Obama leading him among Latino voters by nearly --double-->2-1.--: 59 of Hispanic voters favor the Democrat; compared to the 29 percent behind McCain.-->