U.S. Says Chavez's Venezuela Bad Example for Latam

[stevedeshazer]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday warned that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's policies could leave his country "poorer, less free and hopeless," and set a bad example for Latin American countries.

Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega told a congressional committee that Chavez's "efforts to concentrate power at home, his suspect relationship with destabilizing forces in the region, and his plans for arms purchases are causes of major concern."

If the United States and Latin American countries "ignore President Chavez's questionable affinity for democratic principle we could soon wind up with a poorer, less free, and hopeless Venezuela that seeks to export its failed model to other countries in the region," Noriega said.

more >>>> http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7857016

[cdsilv]

1. bullsh*t

...Chavez is looking out for the Venezualan people, not 'merkins.

What should he be doing?

I buy Citgo gas when I can, so I'm at least not feeding the house of saud.

[Jazzgirl]

12. I buy Citgo all the time.

Nothing like supporting a rebel cause.... }(

[struggle4progress]

2. Oooh! "Setting a bad example ..." eom

[Postman]

3. If it were a "failed model" who would want it?

Last time I looked Chavez was democratically elected. Twice.

Unlike the fascist sitting in the White House.

[arcos]

6. Thrice!

Not only was he elected twice, but was able to defeat the recall in a landslide. I count that as a third election :P

[AP]

23. Actually, he's won 6 elections in 8 years by increasing margins...

...IIUC.

[arcos]

24. well, but he wasn't a candidate...

Probably you are talking about legislative elections and the referendum to approve the Constitution, right?

[AP]

25. I'm talking about the party he formed...

...I think. I read that the foreign minister said this last week.

[arcos]

4. opposed to rw's leaving their countries rich, more free and full of hope?

:eyes:

Just ask Argentinians what they think of Menem, and Chileans of Pinochet...

[DBoon]

5. "poorer, less free and hopeless" ?

You mean like other countries invaded by the USA?

[Blue Gardener]

8. I don't know about hopeless

But the U.S. is certainly poorer and less free since the idiot Bush took office.

[DBoon]

16. You are saying we have been invaded? By ourselves?

eom

[aneerkoinos]

21. invaded and occupied

and slaved, bodies and minds, by psychopathic creatures called corporations...

[HuckleB]

29. Indeed.

The US is an occupied country in many ways.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

36. You got a better way to explain what's happened?

[DBoon]

39. So one day Bush will rip off his latex mask

and show the face of a space alien!

WE HAVE BEEN INVADED AND CONQUERED BY EVIL BEINGS FROM OUTER SPACE!

[Kimber Scott]

7. We're poorer and less free here. So... what's his point? nt

[Vladimir]

9. My girlfriend went to the Americas

and all I got was the lousy US political model...

[aneerkoinos]

10. So what?

Who cares about what U.S. says? I certainly don't. For all I care, U.S. is just one big wanker ...

[DELUSIONAL]

11. Chavez says bush's US setting bad example for the world

Chavez on Wednesday warned that the United State's pResident G.W. Bush's policies could leave country "poorer, less free and hopeless," and set a bad example for all countries of the world if not the Universe.

[bpilgrim]

15. bpilgrim says, "bush and his neoCON henchmen are WAR CRIMINALS"

fighting PREVENTIVE wars are ILLEGAL just ask the UN.

peace

[Say_What]

32. Ditto... n/t

[IndianaGreen]

30. "set a bad example for Latin American countries."

What the American ruling class and their oligarch friends in Latin America fear most is for the people to rise up and power away from them.

Viva Chavez!

[OneMind]

13. Sure you will, Roger

"We will support democratic elements in Venezuela so they can fill the political space to which they are entitled," Noriega said.

Translation: We will support covert operations to overthrow the government of Venezuela for our capitalist masters.

[bemildred]

14. Bemildred says Noriega a bad example for diplomats. nt

[murray hill farm]

17. This is becoming an on going Chavez bash by the USA, but

Chavez always comes back with a response to the nonesense that is always right on..and usually humorous as well. He is not afraid of bush...not at all.

[Say_What]

33. Hugo is playing chess while those imbeciles in DC

are still playing checkers and way behind.

Quote from one of President Chavez's speeches:

"The 19th was the century of Europe, the 20th was the century of the United States and the 21st century will be that of Latin America".

[Media_Lies_Daily]

37. That sounds very familiar.....

...it sounds like something Coach Groh said when he first arrived at the University of Virginia. He implied that he was going to be playing chess while all of the other coaches in the ACC were going to be playing checkers. So far, it hasn't quite panned out the way he thought it was going to go...particularly after Virginia Tech and Miami joined the conference.

But so far, Chavez has been at least a couple of steps ahead of the Busch Junta. Good for him!

[Say_What]

38. Chavez is light years beyond Bush and the rest of his cabal. n/t

[manic expression]

18. That's a good one

Too bad Chavez is trying to help his PEOPLE instead of greedy US interests. Too bad Venezuela is more democratic than the US and the illegal occupation of Iraq. Too bad the model of Venezuela is one that is quite impressive, and one that other countries should surely follow.

Besides, US is perhaps the leader in making countries "poorer, less free and hopeless" than any other in recent history.

Pure BS.

[Vogon_Glory]

19. Actually, Chavez Sets A Bad Example For Old Confederacy

I believe that Hugo Chavez sets a "bad example" not for Latin America, but for the poor and shirt-sleeved classes of the US states that formerly made up the Confederacy.

Chavez, much as Huey Long of old pointed out that the South's upper classes were giving working people and the poor the short end of the stick, points out that Venezuela's upper crust is doing likewise to less-fortunate Venezuelans. I shouldn't be surprised if some US military veteran coming back from the "W"ars would take notice and make public the Republicans' dirty little secret--that the Republican Party is doing over the less-fortunate here in the USA in much the same way that Latin American kleptocrats are doing over the less-fortunate south of La Frontera.

[cliss]

20. Isn't that interesting, now?

Here, the US has had daggers driven into is back all week. Chavez has been globe-trotting for 2 solid weeks.....signing red-hot deals all over the place. ....smiling photos, triumphant alliances...Chavez fighting back, relentlessly.

I'm sure all this caused big consternation in Washington. Speechless they were, I'm sure.

I was wondering when they would say something.

"Poorer, less free and hopeless"....

Really?

[katsy]

22. duhhh

Of course!

I can buy that!

Why would Chavez implement policies that COULD leave his country poorer when he could implement shrubs policies that WOULD most assuredly DEVASTATE the poor?

Your bad Chavez (not)!

:spank:

[Robbien]

26. The World Bank and the IMF is leaving Latin American countries poorer

less free and hopeless.

Anyone would prefer Chavez's plans of universal health care, public education, employment growth etc over the World Bank's and IMF's noose of privatization and foreign debt.

[HuckleB]

28. Exactly.

And that's what Noriega really wants to continue.

[HuckleB]

27. LOL!

Clearly, he's moving to make Venezuela and most Venezuelans more wealthy, more hopeful, and all under a more democratic government than they've ever known.

He must be stopped now!

Ugh. The White House has no shame.

[Say_What]

31. More BELLICOSE BULLSHIT from the BUSHISTAS

"Many of the old demons are gone," Is that fat f*ck Noriega talking about the US and it's US-installed dictators? 30 major US-backed coups in LatAm since 1945.

Chavez made a very true statement in a speech: "The 19th was the century of Europe, the 20th was the century of the United States and the 21st century will be that of Latin America"

Hugo Chavez,
Venezuela president

Published in English on Al Jazeera--highlights of the Brazillian/LatAm view:

Vazquez's presidential ceremony in the capital Montevideo was a roll call of those who have turned the politics of this hemisphere upside down in six short years:

...On the horizon are potential victories for Evo Morales in Bolivia, Michelle Bachellet in Chile's December vote and Manual Lopez Obrador, the mayor of Mexico city and presidential candidate.

...And all three leaders, together with Brazil's Lula, vowed to have a united front in the face of external debt and international credit institutions.

...Agreements with the International Monetary Fund have been kept and the US appeased, but with a new focus on poverty and social programmes within these constraints.

With each election, Latin America's face is changing against the Washington consensus. Unity between the left's leaders is becoming strengthened and they are looking wider afield, forging ties with China, India and South Africa.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3A4E97E5-0A8F-45FF-BAE0-A107660441E2.htm

[WMliberal]

34. haha. I wish I still talked to Undersecretary Gutierrez's daughter.

He's the Undersecretary for Latin America. He lectured my Latam Politics class on Columbia and Venezuela and said quite the reverse of what Noriega said. To paraphrase: Venezuela until the 1980's was a model of democracy and freedom for all Latin America to follow. Hugo Chavez is the first glimmer of hope at returning to that status that country has had in over 15 years.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

35. Yeah...we can't have anyone talking back and making threats about oil!!

[Matilda]

40. Matilda says

Chavez's Venezuela good example for world.

[ProudDad]

41. Noriega the criminal?

Wasn't he one of the Iran/Contra conspirators?

Now isn't he one to talk about democracy. He wouldn't know democracy if it ran up on the sidewalk and bit him on the ass...

[oasis]

42. Send us some your "poor, less free and hopeless" citizens to die in Iraq

with our coalition and we'll gladly re-evaluate your status Mr. Chavez.