U.S.: Don't even head to Miami!

In Washington, the top U.S. envoy for the hemisphere, Roger Noriega, told legislators that if a political solution cannot be reached, "they'll consider many things, they'll consider a whole gamut of options, but they do not want to go in and simply prop up Aristide," according to Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.

Bush indicated an international force may be needed to provide security in Haiti, possibly as a way to enforce a diplomatic and political solution.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said various nations are prepared to "police" a political solution to the violence. "We're working with the international community on these efforts and the international community has made it clear that there would be a police force that could assist or that would help with a political solution, and our commitment is to assist in those efforts," he said.

Bush reiterated that the U.S. Coast Guard will turn back any Haitian refugees trying to reach American shores.

If Jamaica can take Haitian refugees, then why can't the U.S.? Is the U.S. discriminating against Haitians because they're black? Why would a Republican president, in an election year, not opt to do that which would be sure to garner him votes from the Haitian community? Is it because Republicans are just racist and don't care about anybody but the white and the rich, or the peoples of color who have something they want, like oil?

The answer to these questions has not to do with the race and poverty of the people of Haiti but with the security and economics of the U.S. If the U.S. has been vigorous in implementing its wet foot-dry foot policy and turning back Cubans; then, Haitians, no less than Cubans, will not be allowed to land. Were Bush to act expediently, the U.S. would let the boats land in Miami; however 9/11 has radically changed what the U.S. will permit. Moreover, Bush's boondoggle of an immigration policy that would allow guest workers has already seen an increase in illegals coming in from Mexico; this in itself is a security risk, given that coyotes are reputed to be funnelling in Al Qaeda thugs through over the Rio Grande. Where Mexico is contiguous, Haiti is not, and Haitians will pay the price for that. Nevertheless, the Bush Administration will not abandon Haiti, but will be actively engaged to return stability to Haiti.

The short and long-term cost of having thousands of Haitians on U.S. shores is more than the U.S. is willing to bear right now. The U.S. economy is finally beginning to recover from 9/11 [had not the Bush administration acted decisively, the economic hit would have exceeded the billions of dollars that it lost). Furthermore, the $500B budget deficit, spurred in part by necessary war time spending, the boondoggle Medicare and Education bills and other assorted congressional pork, make it quite unlikely that this Administration will consent to entertaining the cost of caring for Haitian refugees on U.S. soil. The U.S. can provide aid at a lower cost to Haitians in Haiti or Jamaica than in Miami. Therefore, whether or not one likes it, any aid that the U.S. provides for Haiti will not be on U.S. soil, votes be damned.