President juggles Latin America, Libya

Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil

As American missiles struck Libya, President Barack Obama doggedly promoted his Latin American agenda Saturday, praising Brazil as a soaring economic force and brimming market for trade. Back home, his message was all but lost in the roar over the Libyan conflict.

“The United States doesn’t simply recognize Brazil’s rise; we support it enthusiastically,” Obama said from this capital city as he launched a five-day outreach mission that also will take him to Chile and El Salvador. He began in Brazil as a sign of solidarity between the two largest democracies and economies in the Americas, and he sought to break through here with his themes of bold cooperation on energy, education and trade.

Yet the looming military action in Libya intruded throughout Obama’s day of pleasantries and policy. Aides said the president was a fully engaged participant as events unfolded, huddling with his national- security adviser, Tom Donilon, calling Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, a vocal supporter of the no-fly zone resolution, and consulting with top national- security staff, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, throughout the afternoon.

Obama’s mission in Latin America is to bolster the kind of economic relationships that can add jobs for the struggling unemployed back home while also proving the United States is engaged with neighbors whose support is needed in fighting terrorism, drugs and climate woes. For those reasons, the White House never showed any inclination to cancel the trip.

Brazil stands out for its strategic and economic importance to the United States. As the world’s seventh-largest economy, it is a member of an exclusive club of influential developing nations, and Obama sought to elevate its stature alongside India and China.

“As the United States looks to Brazil, we see the chance to sell more goods and services to a rapidly growing market of around 200 million consumers,” Obama said to a meeting of corporate leaders, mindful to connect his travels to the concerns of voters back home. “For us, this is a jobs strategy.”