Sen. Barack Obama should travel to Latin America.

His much-publicized trip to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe made him look presidential.

But by not going to Latin America, he is giving short shrift to this crucial region.

Not only is it one of the biggest trading partners of the United States, it has also borne the brunt of wrongheaded U.S. policies over the years.

Historically, the United States has propped up dictatorships and undermined democracies in Latin America. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration, for instance, supported a brutal government in El Salvador and waged an illegal war against Nicaragua.

Once the Cold War ended, many in the United States lost interest in Latin America, and U.S. aid to the region dropped off. One exception has been Colombia, since the United States has invested billions of dollars through Plan Colombia — ostensibly to combat drug trade but also to fight the rebels.

Voters have a right to know what Obama’s views are on Plan Colombia, as well as on other important issues, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico, U.S. policy toward President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and U.S. response to the resistance many Latin American governments have to neoliberal economic policies imposed from Washington.

Plus, Obama needs to understand the push factors that force millions of Latin Americans to migrate to the United States. These include high rates of poverty and the free trade agreements that adversely affect the poor and the middle class.

Obama still has the opportunity to make his case — especially if he wants to capture the Latino vote in the United States.

But he should beware. Sen. John McCain has already gone to Mexico and Colombia, and Obama cannot risk looking indifferent to the roots of tens of millions of Latinos living in the United States.

A visit to Latin America would do Obama good.

Randy Jurado Ertll formerly worked as a communications director/legislative assistant to a member of Congress in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org.

Copyright Randy Jurado Ertll