Rubio Hands Venezuela's Maduro a Propaganda Victory With Graphic Tweet of Qaddafi's Murder

[Judi Lynn]

By DANIEL POLITI
FEB 24, 20195:08 PM

Sen. Marco Rubio has long been one of the strongest critics of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime. But on Sunday, the Venezuelan strongman must have thanked the senator from Florida after he handed him a gift in the form of a tweet. Amid tweets condemning the Venezuelan government and quoting bible verses, Rubio sent out a graphic tweet showing a before-and-after style set of photographs of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Qaddafi was brutally murdered after a U.S. bombing in 2011 as part of a NATO-led intervention. Human Rights Watch has characterized the killing as a possible war crime.

. . .

“Qaddafi was a horrible man. He was also anally raped with a bayonet and beaten to death in the street by a mob, and a US senator is celebrating that,” journalist Dan Murphy wrote on Twitter. “What a time to be alive.” In short, thanks to Rubio, Maduro has something else he can point to as evidence of his claim that he is the victim of a U.S.-sponsored coup.

. . .

The pair of tweets were anything but subtle and clearly appear to be a message for Maduro. And it will surely be taken that way by Maduro and his inner circle in Caracas. After all, characterizing the Venezuelan president as the next in a line of leaders that the United States wants to depose is precisely the message that Maduro is spouting to Venezuelans as he rejects much-needed international aid.

Many on Twitter were quick to criticize Rubio for sending exactly the wrong kind of message that the United States should be espousing about Venezuela right now. Especially from a senator. “Calling for another Libya is not the way to defeat Maduro,” writes Ian Bremmer. Oliver Stuenkel, who is an international relations professor in Brazil, was a bit more direct: “This is remarkably stupid.”

More:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/02/marco-rubio-tweet-qaddafi-gaddafi.html

Editorials and other articles:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016227270#op

[Judi Lynn]

1. Marco Rubio posts a revolting and dangerous tweet as tensions with Venezuela rise

written by Cody Fenwick February 24, 2019

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is best know on Twitter for posting inoffensive, out-of-context Bible passages. But in recent days, his account has become particularly inflammatory as he has ramped up his online rhetoric against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

And on Sunday, he took his attacks on Maduro to a new level, posting a threatening tweet showing two images of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi — both during his rule and as he was being killed in the streets by a mob. In the context of his previous tweets, it was a clear warning to Maduro.

. . .

The threat from Rubio is particularly direct given the Trump administration continuing charges that Maduro is illegitimate and suggestions that it is considering using military force against the regime.

More:
https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/marco-rubio-posts-a-revolting-and-dangerous-tweet-as-tension-with-venezuela-rise/