Obama Press Conference at Summit in Trinidad and Tobago

Yesterday, Obama spoke at the Summit. See the speech here. Today in Trinidad and Tobago, Obama held a press conference. He arrives back in Washington tonight:

Obama says he doesn't agree with Hugo Chavez's economic and foreign policy but just because he shakes Chavez's hand doesn't mean he's endangering the strategic interests of the U.S.

Obama speaks on Obama Doctrine:

Obama speaks at the conference on Roxana Saberi:

Obama brushes asides critics who thought Obama shouldn't be shaking hands with Chavez:

The president's greeting of Venezuela's Chavez drew quick condemnation from Republicans back home, but Obama brushed that aside.

He said Venezuela has a defense budget about one-six hundredth the size of the United States', and owns Citgo, the oil company. "It's hard to believe we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States" when he talks with Chavez, he said.

The trip was Obama's first presidential journey to the region, and he said the meeting of heads of state had the potential to create greater progress on economic progress, climate control and immigration. MSNBC

On a new Venezeulan ambassador:

The Venezuelan leader told reporters he will propose Roy Chaderton, his current ambassador to the Organization of American States, as the country's new representative in a move toward improving strained ties with Washington.

Chavez, an ally of Cuba, a U.S. nemesis, expelled the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, in September in solidarity with leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales, who ordered out the top U.S. diplomat in his country. MSNBC

Race is a Topic at the Summit

Obama arriving at the Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

WaPo: In talking about his race and the backgrounds of his counterparts, Obama is associating himself more closely than his predecessors did with Latin America's indigenous, black and mixed-race underclass, which has long identified the United States with economic policies that benefit the elite of European descent far more than them.

The approach has helped to reduce, though not eliminate, the expected political strife between Obama and such populist leaders as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Bolivia's Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of his country.

Those men explicitly mentioned Obama's race in a closed-door meeting Saturday as a sign that U.S. policy toward the region may change, according to several U.S. and Latin American officials who attended.