On the Campaign Trail

Fulfilling a promise made in his 2008 presidential campaign to address the political status of Puerto Rico, US President Barack Obama will arrive on the Caribbean island on Tuesday, June 14.

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Barack Obama was a senator, campaigning for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in the 2008 US primary elections.

Found dancing the national plena, he proclaimed: "I want to make sure that the people of Puerto Rico are able to decide on the status of the island and make sure that they are able to create the government that they want.”

  alJazeera

So, he visits Puerto Rico in election years? That’s not obvious? And has he made sure they can create the government they want? Or maybe he’s reserving that for his second term?

Many among the more-than four million Puerto Ricans living on the mainland US recognise that Obama's visit will help secure the mainland Latino vote in the 2012 presidential elections, especially in New York, Florida and Pennsylvania - states where their communities are concentrated

I guess they’re not as dumb as he thinks.

The first part [of the Obama plan for Puerto Rico] will ask islanders if they want to maintain a formal political relationship with the United States.

Puerto Ricans will then be asked if they prefer full annexation, making the island the 51st state, or to convert the political relationship into a free association among two nations, whereby Puerto Rico will receive greater autonomy.

. Statehood or greater autonomy. Hmmmm….There is no way in hell Congress is going to give them statehood, and I’m betting they know that. And I have no doubt on earth they know that there is no such thing as a FREE association with the United States.

[In] order to gain independence, 60 per cent of the voting population has to support the change at the ballot box.

Luis Amed Irrizary, a teacher at the country's well-known Free School of Music, told Al Jazeera: "With a politically divided Puerto Rico, this will never happen."

It’s always best to make your offers when there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell the offeree will take it.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.