Condi has a real bug up her ass about Chavez

[cali]

and I find it disturbing. Senator Chafee, who was very good about pressing her on the subject, said that her remarks demonstrated a lack of respect for the Venezuelan people. Condi and bush are clearly going to continue trying to destabilize the Chavez government. Mucking around in South America is a time honored American tradition. Condi seems sure to carry it on.

[cindyw]

1. Make that, a time honored Republican tradition.

[xpat]

36. Oh, come on, now!

"Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Monroe Doctrine is party-independent.

[yellowcanine]

37. Not S. America but Johnson invaded Dominican Repub in 1965.

Too easy to say it is just Republicans who muck around in Latin America.

[jonnyblitz]

41. it's a bipartisan tradition n/t

[yardwork]

2. I can honestly say that I hate her.

The Republicans managed to find an African American woman I simply can't respect or even like. I despise her.

[Voltaire]

3. That Goddamn Leftie Chavez is messing with our oil

That's why. Commie sumbitch <sarcasm off>

[Supersedeas]

44. Democracy without the pretext for War is no ideal for the NeoCons

[Wisc Badger]

4. Chavez does not impresse me.

He comes across to me as a typical hate the United States lefty tin horn dictator wannabe.

He makes me want to :puke:

[Voltaire]

5. Have we given him or anyone else an alternative lately?

nt

[Spazito]

7. Gosh, that exactly what the neocons say too....

yet the rest of the world doesn't have that opinion of Chavez, wonder why?

[DrWeird]

13. It matches well

with his opinion of Islam.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. Do tell. n/t

[DrWeird]

18. I believe it was...

"most muslims would be perfectly happy flying planes into our buildings."

Slightly paraphrasing.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

21. Of course they would be.

Who's looking all silly now? Huh? <sarcasm off>

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. Colombia isn't exactly a big fan of him

Or aren't they part of the rest of the world?

[IndianaGreen]

31. Colombian President Uribe is a former death squad leader who loves Bush

That makes the Uribe regime anathema to all progressives, and Uribe is nothing more than a Spanish speaking Freeper!

[AP]

32. Yes. Columbia is a fine example of sensible domestic and foreign policy.

We should all emulate the Columbian model.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

38. Alvaro Uribe (former drug lord) does not equal Colombia.

George W Bush (former drug addict) does not equal The USA.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Do you have any clue

about Venezuelan politics?

Or do you just repeat what Rush told you to say today?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

9. He doesn't have to impress you or anybody here.

He just has to impress his people and he seems to be doing that. Speaking of :puke:

[rockedthevoteinMA]

10. You should read more about him, and not believe the spin

on the news. He has taken his country, and turned it over to the people, for their benefit. Greg Palast has written some interesting things on South America - you should check his book out. It might change your mind, or open your eyes to how much we are brainwashed in this country.

[cali]

12. You miss the Senator's point entirely.

Good job! Look, what he said is that the Venezuelan people elected him. That's their right. He also pointed out the hypocricy of praising countries like Pakistan while damning Chavez and Venezuela. Let me put this simply: It's not our damned business who the Venezuelans elect and we have zero right to mess in their internal affairs. I'm sure you agree with that simple premise, right?

[Wisc Badger]

17. Hey I got no problem with who they elect

as their leaders, as you posted it is their vote.

But it does seem that Chavez goes way out of his way to shove the US nose in s*&t. He reminds me to much of Castro, and Castro is no democrat no matter what others may say.

Oh well, guess I just am not sufficently left enough on some issues/people (it's the recovering Republican in me).

[cali]

19. I don't think it's a matter of left/right

It's about basic principles of decency. You don't like Chavez, fine. But I would hope that you'd disavow the practice of our government trying to overthow the democratically elected governments of other nations.

[Wisc Badger]

35. I Don't think that we as a nation

have a right to tell a country who to elect in a honest, free, and fair election (we certainly would not put up with it, and we do not have a corner on all that is good and righteous).

In addition I do not think that we as a nation have some sort of involate right to any mineral resource we want no matter what nation it may be in.

In othere words nations should be able to develop and sell their natural resources as they see fit, and if it hurts the United States national interest, than that is our problem not theirs.

I still do not like my nation being insulted by the likes of a Chavez however, and he does remind me of a left wing dictator such as Castro or Ortega.

No one can convince me that a country run by Castro or Ortega or Chavez is run in a more positive fashion than the United States.

[IrateCitizen]

39. Regarding "left-wing dictators" comparison to the US...

No one can convince me that a country run by Castro or Ortega or Chavez is run in a more positive fashion than the United States.

That's a false comparison, a deliberate strawman. Perhaps a better comparison would be the fate of these countries under these left-wing dictators as opposed to their predecessors, which were invariably right-wing dictators.

For example, let's look at Ortega's Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Granted, it was hardly flawless. But it did not represent some sort of narrow Marxist left -- it was, in reality, a pretty broad leftist government. And despite the constant siege by the US in the form of mining Nicaragua's harbors (condemned as a war crime by the World Court), using RW Contras to attack "soft targets" like hospitals and schools, and the use of economic sanctions -- the Sandinistas STILL managed to improve nutrition rates, literacy rates, and health care for the vast majority of Nicaraguans who lived in poverty. Compare that record with the record of the US-supported Somoza regime, which effectively enriched itself at the expense of the Nicaraguan people by opening itself up to US exploitation.

The problem that Americans have with "left-wing dictators" isn't that they're dictators. We've supported more than our share of right-wing dictators, especially in Latin America. Our problem is that they dare to say "no" to the United States, and they dare to place pressing concerns of their country's poor above the interests of US-based corporations. That is their true offense, and it's an unpardonable one in the eyes of US traditionalists.

If you want to vigorously object to the likes of Chavez, that's your perogative. However, when doing so you should also consider the likely alternative, which is the likes of the regime that preceeded it. Furthermore, you should correctly recognize the true source of the outrage, which really has little or nothing to do with the plight of the poor people subjected to those dictatorships -- but rather has more to do with economic ideology and the privilege of rulers over subjects.

After all, there has never been a successful left-wing revolution in a country that actually practiced some form or workable democracy -- they are inevitably in response to repressive governments that enforce grossly disparate wealth distribution. They're simply a reaction to those forces.

[Solon]

24. No offense....

but after the US tried to get rid of him, Chavez has every right now to shove it in our face. I don't give a shit if he gives Bush the Finger and says a big Fuck you to him every day, in fact it would be kinda cool for him to call the White House every day to say that.

[AP]

34. For a guy who was a victim of an attmepted coup, and who was kidnapped...

... he seems remarkably restrained towards the country which probably had something to do with the coup.

When do you think he rubbed America's nose in shit?

[sarahlee]

42. Well Geez

How would you feel about a country that helped the opposition try to keep you from being elected and then after you were elected, helped stage a coup to over through your democratic election.

Give me a break.

[sarahlee]

45. Suggest you spend some time at

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/

[AP]

33. I believe Americans are much better off when foreign countries reject...

...fascism.

As global citizens, we're all better off when we're ALL better off.

Having a country with a wealthy middle/working class in VZ is only going to ensure that an hour of labor is as valuable as possible in VZ, South American, the Western Hemisphere and everywhere.

If you're an American who makes money selling your labour, you're better off when there aren't desperate poor people anywhere on this globe who can undercut they value of your labor.

Duh.

American's should be pleased as punch with foreign leaders like Chavez and should be disturbed as hell when countries like Haiti are run by governments which exist to protect the huge profit margins at the sweat shops by keeping most of their citizens in desperate poverty.

[Solon]

14. You know...

If I had the military of my country overthrow me, with the American Government's explicit and public support, I don't think I would have a high opinion of them either. Also, as far as I'm aware of, most dictators of Central and South America were Pro American and Right Wing.

[0007]

20. How is Hugo Chavez suppose to act when the U.S. tried to

overthrow his government in failed coup d'état? Get real!

[neweurope]

23. He impresses me... That "typical hate the US lefty tin horn dictator

wannabe".

Did you ever ask yourself why there are "typical" "US haters" around? COULD it be - maybe - that the US have done enough to merit "typical US hating"?

----------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[TahitiNut]

28. I'm sure that gives him sleepless nights.

:eyes:

[SweetLeftFoot]

40. Chavez

Your average dictator tends not be re-elected you know.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

6. I was impressed to hear Sen. Chafee keep driving home that

point - it's one that needs to be emphasized.

[sui generis]

11. oh wait, doesn't Venezuela have oil, I mean, WMD?

yeah. What's ours is ours and what's theirs is ours. Go get 'em Condi.

Whatever - just make sure we can all afford to drive our hummers and Ford Earth Destroyers.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

15. Well after all he did call her "Condolencia" (Condolences) and

he also called her an idiot (in more diplomatic terms of course).

[lastknowngood]

22. Oil she's a oil whore so of course she doesn't want the oil

companys to pay anything to the government when they steal the oil.

[IndianaGreen]

26. Yep, Condi is an oil Ho!

She did have an oil tanker named after her.

I think Condi has a sexual hangup about an alpha male like Chavez, one that is so secure about his own sexuality that he doesn't have to prove it to anyone.

[SweetLeftFoot]

43. Yeah

She knows that Chavez (former paratrooper) would beat seven shades of shite out of her current crush (Bushie) and its getting her all het up.

[Al-CIAda]

25. Possable true intent of defense of Chavez by a (R)

Side speculation- By indirectly chastising Liezza on critisizing Chavez (Venez.)....He said 'but the Venezualan people voted and want him as their leader'....by doing this, he is setting up the implied effect of asserting the Amer. ppl. have spoken for Bush and want him as their leader.

[cali]

27. LOL Chafee couldn't bring himself to vote for W

making it rather unlikely that he's sending some hidden message.

[Al-CIAda]

29. Point taken. I agree. Nevermind -eom