Barack Obama on Tuesday became the first sitting US president in 50 years to visit Puerto Rico, the island territory whose descendants could help the prospects for his re-election next year. Obama said he will support a plan that allows Puerto Ricans to determine their own future.
There has been a long-standing debate about whether the Caribbean island should be granted statehood, independence or maintain its current status. "When the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you," Obama said in brief comments that carried all the hallmarks of a campaign speech.
There are millions of Puerto Ricans in the United States, particularly in New York. Obama wants their votes to boost his re-election in November 2012. Obama visited the island during his 2008 campaign and said he would return as president. "Although my hair is a little greyer, I am glad to be able to keep that promise to the people of Puerto Rico," Obama said. Obama's trip was the first official visit to Puerto Rico by a president since John F Kennedy went there in 1961, the White House stated.
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