Pelosi Coddles Chavez

TheMercenary · 10-11-2008, 04:42 PM

Democrats Shouldn't Coddle Chávez
The prospect of a nuclear Venezuela should be enough to unite allegiances in Washington.By MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADY

Hugo Chávez provoked nary a peep from the Bush administration when he recently welcomed Russian fighter jets to an air base in the state of Aragua. For a man desperate to prove his importance, nothing could have been more insulting than the yawn in Washington when the Russians touched down in Venezuela.

Jorge Enrique Botero/El Tiempo
Nancy Pelosi, Piedad Córdoba and Jim McGovern.
But the Venezuelan president will not be ignored and last week he tried again to command attention from someone, anyone, in Washington. This time he popped up at a local political rally to announce that Venezuela has accepted a Russian offer to build nuclear reactors in the socialist paradise.
Given the deterioration of the Venezuelan economy under Chávez management since 1999, it's hard to take the chatty dictator seriously as an evil genius. The Bolivarian Revolution has not even been able to run 20th-century oil technology efficiently. Intelligence sources say that much of Venezuela's military hardware is also suffering from neglect. Nevertheless, a nuclear threat in the region ought not be dismissed casually. Mr. Chávez is a great admirer of the mullahs in Iran and we know why they want nuclear "energy."
Mary O'Grady tells Kelsey Hubbard how Democrats in Washington are sending mixed signals to Venezuela. (Oct. 6)
How the U.S. answers matters a lot. State Department rhetoric directed at Caracas would only give Mr. Chávez the spitting match he wants with "the empire" ahead of the country's Nov. 23 gubernatorial elections. A more effective U.S. policy response would be a tripling of U.S. support for our staunchest ally in the region, Colombia, and a commitment to restoring a strong U.S. dollar.
Disillusion in Venezuela with the Bolivarian promise is growing. A corruption scandal involving an attempt to smuggle millions of dollars from the Venezuelan oil company into Buenos Aires for the campaign of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner is increasing the popular view that the oil wealth is being stolen by chavistas. Electric power outages have blanketed some 50% of the country over the past few months and the annual inflation rate is now 35%. It's easy to see how, in fair elections, the chavistas could lose a number of key gubernatorial races. This is why Mr. Chávez is engaging in a military buildup and trying to pick fights with Washington.

(continues)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122325522191506525.html

HungLikeJesus · 10-11-2008, 04:44 PM

Sorry, I thought it said, "cuddles."

TheMercenary · 10-11-2008, 04:54 PM

I believe she would have sex with him if she could. So would Harry Reid for that matter.

Ibby · 10-11-2008, 07:09 PM

Um, and what does any of that have to do with Democrats?
This is a policy issue that Bush should... oh my god.
i see what you mean. It's sickening that Pelosi hasn't done us all a favor and taken this off the president's plate yet.

10-11-2008, 04:42 PM	#1
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	Pelosi Coddles Chavez Democrats Shouldn't Coddle Chávez The prospect of a nuclear Venezuela should be enough to unite allegiances in Washington.By MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADY Hugo Chávez provoked nary a peep from the Bush administration when he recently welcomed Russian fighter jets to an air base in the state of Aragua. For a man desperate to prove his importance, nothing could have been more insulting than the yawn in Washington when the Russians touched down in Venezuela. Jorge Enrique Botero/El Tiempo Nancy Pelosi, Piedad Córdoba and Jim McGovern. But the Venezuelan president will not be ignored and last week he tried again to command attention from someone, anyone, in Washington. This time he popped up at a local political rally to announce that Venezuela has accepted a Russian offer to build nuclear reactors in the socialist paradise. Given the deterioration of the Venezuelan economy under Chávez management since 1999, it's hard to take the chatty dictator seriously as an evil genius. The Bolivarian Revolution has not even been able to run 20th-century oil technology efficiently. Intelligence sources say that much of Venezuela's military hardware is also suffering from neglect. Nevertheless, a nuclear threat in the region ought not be dismissed casually. Mr. Chávez is a great admirer of the mullahs in Iran and we know why they want nuclear "energy." Mary O'Grady tells Kelsey Hubbard how Democrats in Washington are sending mixed signals to Venezuela. (Oct. 6) How the U.S. answers matters a lot. State Department rhetoric directed at Caracas would only give Mr. Chávez the spitting match he wants with "the empire" ahead of the country's Nov. 23 gubernatorial elections. A more effective U.S. policy response would be a tripling of U.S. support for our staunchest ally in the region, Colombia, and a commitment to restoring a strong U.S. dollar. Disillusion in Venezuela with the Bolivarian promise is growing. A corruption scandal involving an attempt to smuggle millions of dollars from the Venezuelan oil company into Buenos Aires for the campaign of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner is increasing the popular view that the oil wealth is being stolen by chavistas. Electric power outages have blanketed some 50% of the country over the past few months and the annual inflation rate is now 35%. It's easy to see how, in fair elections, the chavistas could lose a number of key gubernatorial races. This is why Mr. Chávez is engaging in a military buildup and trying to pick fights with Washington. (continues) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122325522191506525.html __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

10-11-2008, 04:44 PM	#2
HungLikeJesus Only looks like a disaster tourist Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: above 7,000 feet Posts: 7,208	Sorry, I thought it said, "cuddles." __________________ Keep Your Bodies Off My Lawn SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker.

10-11-2008, 04:54 PM	#3
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	I believe she would have sex with him if she could. So would Harry Reid for that matter. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

10-11-2008, 07:09 PM	#4
Ibby erika Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: "the high up north" Posts: 6,127	Um, and what does any of that have to do with Democrats? This is a policy issue that Bush should... oh my god. i see what you mean. It's sickening that Pelosi hasn't done us all a favor and taken this off the president's plate yet. __________________ not really back, you didn't see me, i was never here shhhhhh

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)