This is the Kidder Daily Podcast for Wednesday, June 18, 2008. I'm Caleb Brown.

John McCain and Barack Obama have different views about how the U.S. should engage Latin America, from the drug

war to trade, and from Cuba to Venezuela.

Juan Carlos Idongo, Project Coordinator for Latin America at the Center for Global Liberty

and Prosperity, the Cato Institute comments.

Well, Latin America hasn't been in the forefront of the campaign so far.

I mean, there are more important issues obviously for

the candidates but recently both candidates McCain and Obama travel to

Miami which is an epicenter of the US Hispanic community.

And they talk about Latin America, they talk about Cuba,

and they offer very contrasting views

on what they see for the region.

On one hand, we have McCain talking about free trade,

talking about the need to strengthen ties with Latin America through commercial endeavors.

And on the other hand, we have Obama promising to substantially increase aid,

but also to revisit most of the trade agreements that the United States has with Latin America

and they have been so beneficial to both sides so far.

Okay, specifically Cuba, where did they come down there?

Well, in Cuba, that's where both candidates coincide the most.

McCain promises to keep the current policy

of just waiting to have the Castro brothers embrace democracy out of the sudden and allow free

elections and the existence of a political opposition.

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