If you hate it, Chávez funds it
Norman Bailey, who for a short time was the administration's intelligence point man for Venezuela and Cuba, testified before the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Relations. You can see the full text here. He says that Hugo Chávez has funded ETA, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Grinch in Whoville. Further, Venezuela currently resembles Nazi Germany and the Panama Canal is at risk because of Chávez. Lastly, there is no reason to expect any Venezuelan election "will be conducted with any greater even-handedness than previous electoral contests in past years." You know, like the ones he lost.
It occurs to me that one thing that will (hopefully) be nice about a new administration is a reduction in the absurd levels of alarmism. Chávez can't be a rival, he has to be Dr. Evil. You don't just want FTAs to be ratified, but the forces of darkness will win if we don't pass them.
22 comments:
What's sad is that Chavez is something of a self-parody. He *acts* like Dr. Evil (I prefer Dr. Claw, the villain from Inspector Gadget). But taking such a character seriously is equally ridiculous. I wonder what the White House thinks of Stephen Colbert?
Given that they base their policies on "truthiness," they probably love him.
I agree with Miguel--Chavez frequently acts like a cartoon character and yet the administration acts like he is a Grave Threat to the US.
I echo Greg's hope that a new admin will have a more reasonable outlook on the world, but I shan't hold my breath.
What's sad is that Chavez is something of a self-parody. He *acts* like Dr. Evil (I prefer Dr. Claw, the villain from Inspector Gadget).
I always find it curious that academics such as Miguel and Steven make wild claims like this without providing any real evidence to back them up. It's as if they think that all they need is the affirmation of the Washington establishment and the corporate media to proffer outlandish nonsense.
No doubt Chavez makes some intemperate comments. No doubt he has challenged U.S. hegemony and attempted to counter-balance against it, as any power-balancing realist would expect.
But how exactly does that make him akin to Dr. Evil or Dr. Claw?
I had hoped that most academics would have abandoned such ridiculously manichean interpretations, but we obviously haven't progressed to such a point yet.
I agree. For example, there is no evidence that Chavez has a cat.
I agree. For example, there is no evidence that Chavez has a cat.
On the other hand, the oil for "evil petting zoos" plan seems suspicious.
On the other hand, the oil for "evil petting zoos" plan seems suspicious.
No doubt you'll posting about this insidious plot, Boz.
I agree. For example, there is no evidence that Chavez has a cat.
Actually, Greg, it was you that equated the villainization of Chavez to a portrait of him as "Dr. Evil," so you might as well be lampooning yourself here.
Well, I just went with "cartoon character" so the issue of the cat isn't necessarily relevant.
Some examples that come to mind:
The Mickey Chávez Brouhaha (although granted, it was the Venezuelan government's reaction that was absurd, not Chavez's per se).
He kind of looks like a cartoon character here (it's the shirt, really): Chávez Seeks to Rally Support for Tomorrow’s Vote
His dramatic shifts (e.g., Uribe is a war criminal/Uribe is my brother, the FARC are a legit political group/the FARC should quit the fight) are a little on the silly side.
The highly confusing referendum produced a somewhat cartoonish ballot.
Those quickly come to mind. However, I suspect they shan't be satisfactory examples.
His dramatic shifts (e.g., Uribe is a war criminal/Uribe is my brother
Oh, this is interestingly selective. For the academic propagandist, the issue naturally becomes Chavez's "dramatic shift." Never mind that Uribe goes from accusing the Chavez government of giving $300 million to the FARC to flying to Venezuela to make up with evil Hugo a few months later. Why no mention of that "dramatic shift"?
Oh, but somehow I don't see Steven referring to Uribe as "cartoonish."
the FARC are a legit political group/the FARC should quit the fight) are a little on the silly side.
You don't even understand the contexts of the statements, Steven. You simply remove the statements from their contexts in the manner of a cheap propagandist.
Does Uribe have a cat?
Does Uribe have a cat?
I have no idea. Personally, I don't think of Uribe or Chavez as cartoonish. Their behaviors are generally quite easy to explain in the contexts within which they occur. Unfortunately, some pseudo-scholars are more interested in spinning events than explaining them because their intent is more polemical than empirical in nature.
"dramatic shift." Never mind that Uribe goes from accusing the Chavez government of giving $300 million to the FARC to flying to Venezuela to make up with evil Hugo a few months later. Why no mention of that "dramatic shift"?
What dramatic shift? More like Uribe beat down Chavez with the evidence from Reyes laptops. Mainly with the key emails that evidence the negotiations between Ivan Marquez with full authority from the FARC and Chavez for a loan/grant of 300 million dollars, and the sale of weapons. The money being something the FARC secretariat had made a large priority as evidenced in several emails.
Except for Chavista shills and plain morons the laptops are widely acknowledged to be the real thing.
Uribe wielding this club has gained two main strategic goals:
i. Neutralized Chavez as a financial and political backer of the FARC.
ii. Kept Venezuela's valuable markets open to Colombia's goods.
"dramatic shift." Never mind that Uribe goes from accusing the Chavez government of giving $300 million to the FARC to flying to Venezuela to make up with evil Hugo a few months later. Why no mention of that "dramatic shift"?
What dramatic shift? More like Uribe beat down Chavez with the evidence from Reyes laptops. Mainly with the key emails that evidence the negotiations between Ivan Marquez with full authority from the FARC and Chavez for a loan/grant of 300 million dollars, and the sale of weapons. The money being something the FARC secretariat had made a large priority as evidenced in several emails.
Except for Chavista shills and plain morons the laptops are widely acknowledged to be the real thing.
Uribe wielding this club has gained two main strategic goals:
i. Neutralized Chavez as a financial and political backer of the FARC.
ii. Kept Venezuela's valuable markets open to Colombia's goods.
More like Uribe beat down Chavez with the evidence from Reyes laptops.
Oh really? Notice that this so-called "evidence" has disappeared from the discussion just in time for Uribe to avoid turning over any "evidence" to the OAS. We haven't seen one verified piece of "evidence" from the laptops because the actual content of the laptops has never been independently examined.
Mainly with the key emails that evidence the negotiations between Ivan Marquez with full authority from the FARC and Chavez for a loan/grant of 300 million dollars,
I see you're still grasping at straws, Boli Boy. The supposed email to which you refer doesn't even mention "dollars" or "Chavez," much less $300 million dollars. The email mentions the number "300" without even identifying what the number refers to or whom its coming from. If that's what you call "evidence," you obviously have no business working in the legal profession.
Does Uribe have a cat?
Actually, now that I think about it, which Latin American leaders have pets? It doesn't seem all that common.
You simply remove the statements from their contexts in the manner of a cheap propagandist.
Actually, I think that there are times that Chavez behaves in a cartoonish manner very deliberately and to great effect at times.
Would it make you feel any better if I said that some of Uribe's statements about Chavez were ridiculous as well? I wouldn't call them cartoonish only because, quite frankly, Uribe-as-cartoon just doesn't track.
And I will have to be sure to get some new business cards printed.
Steven Taylor
Cheap Propagandist
And I will have to be sure to get some new business cards printed.
Not a bad career choice, Steven. There's a lot of money to be made in cheap propaganda. Ask Jorge Castañeda.
Chavez became a charicature to me when he mandated the military salute with that ridiculous "socialism or death." It was at that point that, for me, he became the charicature of the petty latin american dictator. I have been unable to see him as unclownish since then. This is not to say that he shouldn't be taken seriously. Just that he is, well, clownish.
Has anyone seen footage of "Aló Presidente" (Chavez's television talk show)? The episodes of him at the beach, blowing kisses to adoring female fans in swimsuits, stands out.
And so I'm not accused of spreading propaganda by our resident truth detector:
http://alopresidente.gob.ve
That's the official Bolivarian government's website for the show. It has video clips, photo galleries, etc. No propaganda there. Just the truthinessest.
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