LA CANADA-FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (AP) -- Pat Buchanan rolled through this north Los Angeles suburb Saturday with a platform designed to lash out at undocumented immigrants and China, and also referred to Serbia as a friend.
At a rally attended about 350 supporters and sponsored by his friend Tom Jeffers, the phrase "Patriotism and America first," rang out as Buchanan once again attacked illegal immigration as one of the top problems facing the United States.
He also reiterated his opposition of the NATO attack on Serbia. "This is Europe's war, not America's war," he said. "Instead of defending the borders of Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia, we should be defending the borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and California."
He said he wants to build triple line fences and double border troops at every major crossing that the United States shares with Mexico.
Calling the North American Free Trade Agreement the worse drain on American manufacturing jobs, Buchanan pledged to renegotiate the treaty if he gets in the White House.
Buchanan seemed to be directing most of his comments at the current administration rather than his opponents in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
The conservative TV talk show host also pledged to tell China to roll back what he called, "their missile buildup" if they want to retain trading rights with the United States.
"Let's look out for the tiger were feeding," he said. "Our technology has been stolen and it has been stolen because we have the most incompetent steward of our national security in the history of this nation."
Buchanan accused the Clinton administration of allowing a $58 million trade deficit with China last June. "I will tell them roll back the missile buildup or you will have sold your last stuffed panda bear in this country."
Buchanan had some criticism for Texas Gov. George W. Bush, especially on Bush's attitude toward Mexico. Buchanan accused Bush of wanting to open the borders wide and continue a drain of American jobs.
"The biggest employer in the U.S. used to be General Motors," he said. "Guess who the biggest employer in Mexico is today? General Motors."
If elected, Buchanan said he will put constitutional conservatives in the Supreme Court and push for term limits for federal judges, who currently are appointed for life.
One of the comments that drew the most response from the crowd involved neither his opponents nor the president, but the first lady.
He turned to his wife Shelly, and said he expected her to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the White House.
"But I'm thinking maybe now she's going to run for the Senate from New York." That prompted some supporters in the crowd to began chanting "Go Shelly, Go" in an imitation of Buchanan's slogan "Go Pat, Go."
