U.S. sees foreign hands behind Bolivian unrest (Rumsfeld spews)

[struggle4progress]

17 Aug 2005 00:40:08 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Alistair Scrutton

ASUNCION, Paraguay, Aug 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused Washington's leftist foes Venezuela and Cuba of trying to destabilize Bolivia, embroiled in indigenous revolts that have overthrown two presidents in two years.

"There is certainly evidence both Cuba and Venezuela have been involved in the situation in Bolivia in unhelpful ways," Rumsfeld told reporters on Tuesday while flying to Paraguay on an official visit. He gave no evidence to support his claim.

Indian protesters, angry at years of Washington-encouraged free market reforms, helped oust Bolivia's President Carlos Mesa this year, the second leader to have been overthrown by leftist street demonstrators since 2003. <snip>

Rumsfeld's statement was a sign of Washington's growing concern that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban President Fidel Castro were fomenting leftist and anti-U.S. protests in Latin America, especially in troubled and impoverished Andean countries like Bolivia. <snip>

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N16201800.htm


Troops out of Iraq go where next?

[libhill]

1. Surprised they didn't blame Iran -

n/t

[cal04]

3. He has other things to blame Iran and Syria for

that moron
Rumsfeld reiterates Iran weapons smuggling claim
US forces have found Iranian weapons inside Iraq on more than one occasion over the past couple of months, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says.
Mr Rumsfeld says "no-one ought to be surprised" by the arms smuggling since Iran would like to replicate its own Islamic regime in Iraq.

Mr Rumsfeld has said the behaviour of Iran and Syria is among a variety of factors that will determine how soon US forces can turn over security to Iraqi forces in Iraq.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1439376.htm
can anyone say PNAC

[bemildred]

2. No more oil for you, Donald. nt

[Minstrel Boy]

4. Hey Rumsfeld, you

rictus-riddled bastard:

Bolivians don't need foreign agitators to be fucking agitated!

[Demeter]

5. "Whose Bedroom Are the Burglars Fiddling In, George?"

---Eulalie McKecknie Shinn, the mayor's wife
The Music Man--Meredith Wilson

[NeoConsSuck]

6. My, My! Capitalism is getting a stomach ache..

people in South America are waking up to the fact that capitalism is not in their best interests.

Rummy, you'd better hope that same feeling doesn't arrive on your shores.

[IndianaGreen]

10. BTW, Bolivia has rich natural gas deposits

and it was that, and the resistance of the miners and the peasants to having US companies rob them of their natural wealth, that prompted all the riots.

[Torgo Johnson]

7. What a hypocrite...

especially since neo-cons in the US government have been behind unrest in Chile, Haiti, Indonesia, and of course, Venezuela.

[IndianaGreen]

8. It is the Bolivian people that don't want to be Washington's puppets

Did anyone asked Rumsfeld why he has stationed troops in neighboring Paraguay? Not a very friendly gesture!

I hope Evo Morales wins the elections in Bolivia. It will be another Leftist government for the GOP to rant about.

[Judi Lynn]

24. Once Morales has won a Presidency, THEN Rumsfeld can claim

HE is behind unrest in other Latin American countries.

It appears any leader in Latin America who doesn't put right-wing America before everything else, including his/her own people, is a dictator, and a trouble maker who needs to be overthrown.

This hateful aggression from U.S. Republican idiot officials is shameful, shabby, ugly.

If they had any dignity, they'd be too ashamed to carry on like this.
Full throttle fools.

[madeline_con]

9. "Rumsfeld spews "

He makes me spew :puke: too.

[madeline_con]

11. They really are insane....

Where are they supposede to get enough troops to take over the world?

Pretty soon, Bush, Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld won't be too old to join up.

EDIT I was gonna rewrite "supposed", but I'm danm sick and tired of editing so htere!

[goforit]

12. Rumsfeld thinks he represents Americans???....NOT!!!

He represents his own ego and greedy endeavors!!!!

He believes in tyrranny not Democracy!!!!

He has a Narcissistic Personality Disorder to the extreme!!!

He nauseates me to no end.

[krkaufman]

13. Why would the Secy of Defense be saying *anything* about Bolivia?!?

As far as I can tell, Bolivia's situation is strictly a matter for the State Department, at the present time, and Rumsfeld needs to keep his focus on catching bin Laden and getting our troops out of Iraq.

[CHIMO]

14. Is Chavez Funding Evo? Si o No?

In the run up to the December elections the US State Department has made it a very clear policy to charge, over and over again, that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is providing secret funding to MAS and Evo Morales.

Here’s what the State Department has to say in a formal declaration posted August 5th on its Web site:

The U.S. State Department has expressed its concern that Venezuela is using its wealth gained from oil production to destabilize the country's democratic neighbors in the Americas by funding anti-democratic groups in Bolivia, Ecuador, and elsewhere.

Since the clear Bolivian reference is to MAS (see the additional statement below) it is now the official position of the US government that MAS is not a legitimate political party (the US regularly funds political parties in other countries through the NED) but an “anti-democratic” organization. It would be interesting to know what standard the US uses to establish an organization as “anti-democratic”.

http://www.democracyctr.org/blog/index.htm

[IndianaGreen]

17. The same State Department also said Saddam had WMD

and that aluminum tubes shipped to Iraq were to be used to build an atomic bomb.

MAS is a leftist party, which I guess that makes them illegitimate in the eyes of the US.

Did you notice that no one in the Bush regime has bothered to ask the Bolivians what they want for their country?

[Mika]

18. The same State Department that was so helpful in the Venezuelan coup.

:hi:

[CHIMO]

19. Seems To Me

That they are living in a cocoon. Really.

They really seem to believe their preaching. ....we act you record our actions. It seems that they don't react to comment or criticism but just keep on going their own way.

It seems to have worked up to now.

But like they say the bigger you are the harder they fall.

[IndianaGreen]

20. The only good thing about our military being bogged down in Iraq

is that millions living in other countries in Latin America and elsewhere are not living with the fear of American bombs raining on them, or US troops invading their countries.

If it weren't for Iraq, our troops would now be invading Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, and who knows what other country having natural resources that we covet.

[cliss]

15. Dear DU:ers:

I think one of these days, we're going to have the rare joy of watching RumsFailed fall apart before our very eyes.

I'm not being snide, I mean this sincerely. I really do believe Don Rumsfeld is headed for some kind of breakdown. Am I the only one who has noticed this? In interviews, or in particular in congressional hearings where he has to answer questions, he becomes absolutely unglued.

He has a whiny, immature voice and demeanor to begin with. After a while, he starts to get tired. He becomes really snappy, like a snapping turtle. And THAT's when things start to come out. His anger and irritation become almost uncontrollable for him.

He's walked out of a few hearings; I believe because he couldn't keep it together.

Especially recently, it seems in vogue to "Bash RumsFailed". They all seem to have picked on him as their Scapegoat. And sure enough, last summer when he got reamed on one of his "surprise visits" to Iraq (recall when the men blasted him for having to use "Hillbilly Armor").

RumsFool replied "I'm an old man". Doesn't that just say it all?

[niallmac]

16. Foreign Hands? Bloody yes! Our hands.

I wonder why kids in U.S. public schools are not taught about struggles in other nations that are so similiar to our own American Revolution. Is it because WE are the bad guys. WE are the
life sucking capitalists who hire death squads to haul away the leftist fathers from their families never to be seen again. United Fruit could depend on a fascist regime but a democratic regime...not so secure. Gee, no child left behind ought to incorporate American Imperialism into the curriculum. But kids might 'get it' and not be so willing to die for Kenny Boy and Haliburton. John Wayne based history it is and John Wayne based history it shall be.

[IndianaGreen]

21. What do Japanese and US history textbooks have in common?

:think:

They both fail to acknowledge the crimes their respective countries have committed.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

22. Is this why we're in Paraguay?

So we can grab Bolivia?

[HadItUpToHere]

23. Are they starting the justification process...?

For sending troops(wait...what troops?) into Venezuela and maybe even Cuba?

we have interesting times ahead.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

25. Good move Rummy, Venezuelan oil cutoff could cripple US economy.eom