President Bush Defends U.S. Record in Latin America

President Bush visits Guatemala on Monday, bringing his message of United States engagement in the hemisphere to the fourth stop on his five-nation tour of Latin America.

Undeterred by protests that have dogged him at every stop on his five-nation Latin American trip, the president, who arrived in Guatemala City on Sunday night, will work to convince Guatemalans that the United States is a compassionate nation. It's the same message he delivered earlier at stops in Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia.

About 2,000 Demonstrators chanted "Down with Bush" and burned American flags in Bogota on Sunday during the president's seven-hour stop in Colombia. It was the first visit to the Colombian capital by a sitting U.S. president since Ronald Reagan visited in 1982.

"It's very important for the people of South America and Central America to know that the United States cares deeply about the human condition, and that much of our aid is aimed at helping people realize their God-given potential," Bush said Sunday in Bogota.

Critics say that the Bush administration has failed to pay proper attention to Latin America since the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001.

The president wraps up his tour with a stop in Mexico on Tuesday, a country that had expected closer ties with the U.S. during the Bush presidency.

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