State Dinner for Mexico’s Felipe Calderon
Tonight the President will be hosting a state dinner for 200 guests honoring Felipe Calderon the President of Mexico. The dinner will be a Mexican theme prepared by celebrity chef Rick Bayless.
Bayless has two Mexican Restaurants in Chicago, hosts a PBS Mexican cooking show and most importantly has Michele Obama as a big fan of his restaurants. I’ve watched Bayless many times on TV and there is no doubt he knows Mexican cuisine and what he is doing with a tortilla.
It is good to know that tonight there will be someone in the White House that knows how to do their job. That has been a rare occurrence in recent months. There is a question about the menu. The menu at State dinners typically are designed to show case America with a element somewhere in the menu recognizing the taste of the country being honored . This is apparently not the Obama style.
Rick Bayless is from Oklahoma and apparently that is the limit concerning a show case of America at tonight’s dinner. Have no doubts that Bayless will impress and the Mexican meal served will be one that would be hard to duplicate in Mexico. There is no indication that the food will showcase America. One thing is absolutely sure, the kitchen help doesn’t have to worry about having green cards in the White House, this is sanctuary central.
Calderon is noted for winning office in a closely contested election with many charges of voter fraud. He rode into office over the election questions and has not seemed to change much of the poverty in Mexico during his term of office. The illegal flow of destitute Mexicans across our border is a clear indication of his failure in the area of Mexican economic opportunity..
Calderon has openly and frequently criticized America for failing to create a road to U.S. citizenship for these Mexicans who have established criminal residence in the United States.
Calderon has strongly criticized the U,S. Senate for rejecting the comprehensive immigration bill proposed during the Bush administration. Calderon is very interested in the illegal Mexican immigrants working in America. The money sent home by these illegal aliens is one of the largest sources of foreign currency regularly sent to Mexico.
Finding a way to move these illegal immigrants on a path to U.S. citizenship is a goal of both Presidents and I am sure will be a part of their discussions after dinner, perhaps while relaxing and smoking a Cuban cigar.
