[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 8 (Monday, March 3, 2008)]
[Pages 279-280]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Former Cabinet Secretaries and Senior 
Government Officials

February 26, 2008

    I've just had a fascinating meeting with folks who have served our 
country nobly in the past. I thank them for coming. We got Democrats 
here; Republicans are here, concerned citizens. And our discussion was 
the trade bill with Colombia.
    The trade bill is--with Colombia is a really important piece of 
legislation for America's national security. A stable neighborhood is in 
our interests. We want people to be prosperous; we want people to be 
free; we want people to feel comfortable about making, you know, the 
tough decisions that democracy requires. And the trade vote with 
Colombia would say a clear message to a strong democratic ally: We 
support you; we support you in your efforts.
    A defeat of the trade bill with Colombia would send a contradictory 
message. It would embolden the false populism that exists on the 
continent. It would send a chilling signal to our allies, and it would 
harm national security of the United States.
    We also talked about the economic benefits. Many of the Colombian 
goods come into our country duty free. It seems like we ought to be 
treated the same way by sending our products into their countries. And 
this will particularly benefit small businesses and farmers and 
ranchers.
    And I want to thank you for your suggestions on how to advance this 
trade bill, how we can work with both Republicans and Democrats to get 
this trade bill out soon. It's in the Nation's interests. And a lot of 
time people think about trade, it's just an economic issue. In this 
case, it is a national security issue and one that the members of both 
parties must take seriously. And I repeat: If the trade bill with 
Colombia is defeated, it will harm the national security interests of 
the country.
    And I thank you all for coming. I appreciate your time. Thank you 
for your advice.

Note: The President spoke at 2:11 p.m. in Room 350 of the Dwight D. 
Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The Office of the Press Secretary

[[Page 280]]

also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.