Vicente Fox: FTAA common currency (Amero), Hillary for president, Bill Richardson, driver's licenses, lies about heathcare...

On Monday's Larry King show, former Mexican president Vicente Fox:

* Said that the Free Trade Agreement of the Americans (FTAA; called in Spanish ACLA) on which he worked with president Bush was to, long-term, include a common "Latin American" currency. Since that agreement would apply to the U.S., the currency would apply here as well...

* Promoted immigration from Mexico, "guest" workers, and NAFTA...

* Lied about U.S. citizens not paying the healthcare costs for illegal aliens...

* Agreed with Felipe Calderon's claim that "Mexico does not stop at its border"...

* Promoted driver's licenses for illegal aliens...

* Said he wants Hillary Clinton to be president and called Bill Clinton a "great man"...

* Said that Bill Richardson was a "excellent man" and that "he's so Mexican in his interior"...

Transcript here; excerpts in the extended entry.

The first point resulted in this:
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox confirmed the existence of a plan conceived with President Bush to create a new regional currency in the Americas, in an interview last night on CNN's "Larry King Live."

It possibly was the first time a leader of Mexico, Canada or the U.S. openly confirmed a plan for a regional currency. Fox explained the current regional trade agreement that encompasses the Western Hemisphere is intended to evolve into other previously hidden aspects of integration.
Fox' statement resulted in Les Kinsolving asking about it:
A spokeswoman for the White House has denied any knowledge of a discussion between President Bush and former Mexican President Vicente Fox where the two, as Fox confirmed, conceived a plan for a regional currency for the Americas.

Spokeswoman Dana Perino also said she's not aware of any plan for such a currency either...
Whether that's worth a plugged Amero is left up to the reader's judgment.

FOX: ...And so I am not claiming for open borders to everybody. What I am claiming for is a decision, an intelligent decision with a vision to the future, because the United States needs that energy to support the elderly, to support the pension plans, to be competitive in front of Asia and China. And it's a must.

...KING: ...In his state of the union address [Calderon] said, "I have said that Mexico does not stop at its border, that wherever there is a Mexican, there is Mexico."

Do you agree with that?

FOX: Yes. Yes. But I also put my feet on the ground or my boots on the ground. And I understand the problem. But we must deal with problems. We must deal with challenges...[blathers on...]

FOX: ...and give a driver's license, because you need a driver's license only to those who know how to drive, and you will be much more secure to have those guys driving with a driver's license, the insurance and everything all together, instead of them driving without a license and without any I.D.

..FOX: ...[promotes guest workers]

...KING: ...We have an e-mail question from Patricia, Oxnard, California: "Why should the American public have to pay for medical care of illegal immigrants from Mexico? Why shouldn't we be able to bill the government of Mexico for care given to their citizens?"

FOX: Patricia, let me tell you that you're not paying for medical care for undocumented workers...

FOX: ...what I see is fear dominating people here -- or some people here because it's still, I would say that a majority of your citizens would go along with a reform, done with a proper intelligence and solve this problem once and for all and convert it into win-win situation.

KING: [who does he want for president?]

FOX: A lady [i.e., Hillary] would be my choice... [Bill Clinton is a] Great man. [Jimmy Carter's great too] ...[his "Fox Center" is] associated with the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, California, the largest think tank in the world. They are going to open an office in San Cristobal, in the farm by the side of the center so that we will work on developing knowledge and research together.

...[Bill Richardson is an] Excellent man. I mean, he's so Mexican in his interior, I like him a lot. And he's a good governor. Good man.

...KING: E-mail from Mrs. Gonzalez in Elizabeth, New Jersey. "Mr. Fox, I would like to know how you feel about the possibility of having a Latin America united with one currency?"

FOX: Long term, very long term. What we propose together, President Bush and myself, it's ALCA, which is a trade union for all of the Americas. And everything was running fluently until Hugo Chavez came. He decided to isolate himself. He decided to combat the idea and destroy the idea...

KING: It's going to be like the euro dollar, you mean?

FOX: Well, that would be long, long term. I think the processes to go, first step into is trading agreement. And then further on, a new vision, like we are trying to do with NAFTA.

KING: How is NAFTA doing?

FOX: Excellent. Mexico's seventh largest trading economy in the world... So we account for hundreds of thousands of jobs in this economy in the U.S.