Venezuela making 'bald-faced lies' over Chavez: opposition

[Zorro]

Venezuela's government is flat-out lying to its people about cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez's health, the country's leading opposition figure charged Sunday.

"The people are being told bald-faced lies about the situation the president is in," Henrique Capriles, who lost last October's presidential race to Chavez, said at a ceremony in Miranda state of which he is governor.

Longtime leader Chavez, 58, is convalescing from cancer surgery in Cuba and has not been heard from since his latest operation December 11.

Venezuela's government has said the absent leader suffered a lung infection following his treatment that he subsequently conquered. Officials have also said that Chavez is signing documents, and even cracking jokes with aides.

More at: http://my.news.yahoo.com/venezuela-making-bald-faced-lies-over-chavez-opposition-000505683.html

[MADem]

1. If he's signing and cracking, he could make an audio tape.

What the Spanish press has reported is that he's on a respirator, he was in a coma (unclear if that is still "operative&quot , and he's lost upwards of forty pounds.

I do not think the opposition's ire is unreasonable. I think if Obama disappeared to the UK for almost two months, with no pictures, no audio, no nothing save assurances from Joe Biden that "Oh, he's fine, he's cracking jokes and signing documents" we wouldn't buy that bullshit. Hell, we wouldn't buy that bullshit for three days, never mind a month and a half.

Even the NYT is starting to smell a rat, as this headline (said to be Chavez's) suggests:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/world/americas/letter-said-to-be-from-chavez-read-at-summit-meeting.html

His silence has led to widespread speculation that he may be dying or that his illness is so severe that he may not be able to function as president. But government officials who have shuttled to Cuba insist that Mr. Chávez is instructing them and is in charge.

The opposition criticized the government over the weekend, after officials announced that they would read the letter from Mr. Chávez at the summit meeting.


“Someone who can sign letters and crack jokes, can’t he speak to the country?” Henrique Capriles, the opposition candidate who lost to Mr. Chávez in the October election, said on Sunday, referring to recent comments by the newly appointed foreign minister, Elías Jaua, who said that he had visited Mr. Chávez and that the two had joked and laughed. Mr. Capriles, a state governor, was quoted in the newspaper El Nacional on Monday.

While officials have previously delivered messages that they say came from Mr. Chávez, Monday’s letter, signed in red ink, was the longest.

I really think the "handlers" stepped on it with this letter--it's absurd that Chavez has time to write eleven page, flowery letters, but can't do a five minute audio speech to his own people. I wouldn't be surprised if someone in his host country helped to write that little letter, particularly since it is a letter (a damn chapter) that is to their benefit.

I am reminded of that Weekend at Bernie's film--I think this is a disgrace; and entirely unbelievable.

[joshcryer]

2. Capriles must have got some inside info if he's saying this.

Something like that could easily backfire, so he knows something.

[Bacchus4.0]

3. Agree with Capriles. even the criminal FARC provide proof of life video of hostages n/t

s

[Marksman_91]

4. They will never release any solid proof

unless, of course, he's in tip-top shape to keep on governing, as in, fully conscious, and isn't lying in a respirator or in a bed with a bunch of injections, which are, at the moment, the most likely scenarios. No way can a man who's endured such an operation be fully capable to have such a perfect signature. Why didn't he write his recent letter to the CELAC by hand, then? I'm sure someone would recognize his handwriting.

[Zorro]

5. It's pretty obvious that Chavez is seriously incapacitated

and that the Venezuelan government and the Cubans are doing their what they can to spin the situation and keep Chavistas' hopes and spirits alive.

It would be utterly remarkable if Hugo recovered sufficiently to resume his elected post, but I suspect the odds are against that happening. We'll see.