U.S. Tries to Quell Aristide Controversy

[Say_What]

Now that Kerry says there ought to be an investigation into the possibility of Aristide being forced out of the country, the Bushies are attacking Aristide just like they did with Chavez in the 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela.

<clips>

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration on Tuesday sought to put aside the controversy over Jean-Bertrand Aristide's departure from Haiti, expressing little interest in his claims that he was forced to go into exile by the American military.

"I think the story's been addressed," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, referring to emphatic administration denials. "The decision to leave was Mr. Aristide's to make and it was a decision that was in the best interest of the Haitian people."

Aristide's resignation letter said he was leaving "in order to avoid a bloodbath," according to a U.S. translation from Creole. "I accept to leave, with the hope that there will be life and not death." A copy of the letter was provided by the Bush administration.

Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president, said he thought there ought to be some investigation of the claim that Aristide was forced out and escorted by U.S. troops.

"I have a very close friend in Massachusetts who talked directly to people who have made that allegation," Kerry said on "Today" on NBC. "I don't know the truth of it. I really don't. But I think it needs to be explored and we need to know the truth of what happened."

McClellan responded to Kerry by launching a fresh attack on Aristide's leadership.


<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&e=3&u=/ap/20040302/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/us_haiti>

[CaptainClark23]

1. He thinks...

Like anyone gives a fck what scotty boy thinks has or hasn't been addressed.

Damn, I almost miss Ari....

[leftchick]

2. Aristide is apparently unable to access a phone for a while...

at his detention in Africa. I heard on MSRNC this afternoon that his Attorney in Miami can no longer contact him. Hmmmm...

[nolabels]

3. You know they might start by releasing their kidnap victims

:argh:

[Say_What]

4. Add to that the letter they wave around hysterically saying

that he resigned. The letter would tell a lot--like how the Bushies LIE.

[tom_paine]

5. Totalitarian Bushevik should know that the truth always shines through

No matter how much Bushevik Scum tries to cover it up. Eventually, it comes out and shines.

[eablair3]

6. Why can't news reporters meet with and interview Aristide and his wife?

Why haven't news organizations, even foreign one or the alternative press (who are more likely to be more objective than the US Mass Corporate Media) been allowed to meet with and interview Aristide?

And, why can't they get an interview on video with his wife, a US citizen?

I thought these were supposed to be free people who willingly resigned and who willingly went to CAR, according to US representatives in the State Dept, the White House and the Defense Dept????

[Say_What]

7. Right!! Why are they being held hostage?? The longer

they keep them incommunicado, the worse it will be for the Bushies.

Meanwhile, a convicted murderer, Guy Phillippe, just became head of the police in Haiti. Keeerist, what next.

Drip, drip, drip...

[UpInArms]

8. I found it very telling that

* himself went on camera yesterday to say how he welcomed the change in Haiti -

anyone remember when they did that back in 2002 regarding the Venezuelan attempted coup?

[Say_What]

10. How could we forget??

It's deja vu all over again. Meanwhile, they hold the president of Haiti hostage...

[Say_What]

9. Guardian: Why they had to crush Aristide

<clips>

Jean-Bertrand Aristide was re-elected president of Haiti in November 2000 with more than 90% of the vote. He was elected by people who approved his courageous dissolution, in 1995, of the armed forces that had long terrorised Haiti and had overthrown his first administration. He was elected by people who supported his tentative efforts, made with virtually no resources or revenue, to invest in education and health. He was elected by people who shared his determination, in the face of crippling US opposition, to improve the conditions of the most poorly paid workers in the western hemisphere.

Aristide was forced from office on Sunday by people who have little in common except their opposition to his progressive policies and their refusal of the democratic process. With the enthusiastic backing of Haiti's former colonial master, a leader elected with overwhelming popular support has been driven from office by a loose association of convicted human rights abusers, seditious former army officers and pro-American business leaders.

It's obvious that Aristide's expulsion offered Jacques Chirac a long-awaited chance to restore relations with an American administration he dared to oppose over the attack on Iraq. It's even more obvious that the characterisation of Aristide as yet another crazed idealist corrupted by absolute power sits perfectly with the political vision championed by George Bush, and that the Haitian leader's downfall should open the door to a yet more ruthless exploitation of Latin American labour.

If you've been reading the mainstream press over the past few weeks, you'll know that this peculiar version of events has been carefully prepared by repeated accusations that Aristide rigged fraudulent elections in 2000; unleashed violent militias against his political opponents; and brought Haiti's economy to the point of collapse and its people to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1159809,00.html

[54anickel]

11. Your comments in bold could just as easily describe Shrub. n/t

[Say_What]

12. Wow!!

On second reading you are RIGHT!!! :-)

[eablair3]

13. the difference is

Bush has the corporate mass media behind him to counter and trivialize such statements. Aristide had none of that.

[salin]

14. Always bad when teambush has to deny stories

means the stories (even with our complacent press) have gotten so strong/loud that they must be responded to - and in doing so there is the repetition to the charge.

Why do you think that after the Venezueala attempted Coup... we backed off on our public agitation role... because the story of our actual involvement was starting to be brought up, requiring denials... which required retelling the charges and so on, and so on.

The difference is that there had been very little US press prior to the events that led to the coup in Venezueala, so when the bushies backed off the story the press dropped it, and as a result most of the public is unfamiliar with the story.

But the press has been doing a lot of reporting on Haiti (presumably setting the stage to the story) and the public is paying (some) attention. The longer they remain in the defensive denial pattern, the longer the charges (to which they are denying) keeps being restated - and each time more of the public hears it ... and it starts to penetrate the public psyche... which in the backdrop of now widelyknown ... er... trumped up circumstances sold to us to get public support for the war in IRaq... questions on our role in Haiti... just add to the bushies "credibility" question with more and more folks who have still been trying to give the admin the benefit of a doubt. And once they question the story of Haiti... it gets easier to go backwards and start questioning all sorts of other events of the past 3 years.

[0007]

20. Excellent observation salin - I can dig it!!

[ithacan]

15. Bush is a proven liar!

If they'll lie about something as huge as WMD and war in Iraq, is there any doubt they'd lie through their teeth on something like Haiti?

[lightbulb]

16. Kerry wants an investigation. Bush must be worried sick.

"Sen. John Kerry... said he thought there ought to be some investigation"

Sorry John, the word "investigation" has lost any and all meaning.

Pre 9/11 "intelligence failures"
Pre war "intelligence failures"

Not to mention the destruction of Valerie Plame's livelihood and Bush's AWOL adventures. These farcical investigations are studies in cowardice, foot dragging, and stonewalling. Most everyone of any potency is apparently either scared shitless or in the hip pocket of the Bush regime. It will take more than what is passing for an "investigation" these days to nail these untouchable fascists.

[DuctapeFatwa]

18. That's a nice compromise. Investigations are not threatening to investors

Unlike Aristede's constant harping about the minimum wage.

[BadGimp]

17. Alllow Mr Aristide to appear before the UN Security Council

Let him speak!

Let him be seen and heard in front of the world body.

NOW!!!!

[Say_What]

19. Interesting questions/comments by Eugenia Charles-Mathurin

at the WP site. Eugenia Charles-Mathurin, co-director of the "Haiti Reborn" program at the Quixote Center, was online Tuesday, March 2 at 11 a.m. ET, to discuss the overextending U.S. role in Haitian policy and the allegations that Aristide was forced to exile by the U.S.


<clips>

..Southport, Conn.: Is it remotely possible that the US could have been involved in physically removing the President of Haiti? If so, what are the ramifications of this?

washingtonpost.com: U.S. Assembles Peacekeeping Coalition in Haiti (Post, March 2)

Eugenia Charles-Mathurin: I think the U.S. is very much involved in the removal of President Aristide. We can go back to the creation of the Haitian opposition. We started seeing the International Republican Institute (IRI) along with USAID who began the process of building political parties whom they felt were compatible to face the Fanmi Lavalas political party. Then we had the May 2000 election where the oppositions participated as individual political parties not as a coalition and formed a coalition after the result of the election had been announced. We see the U.S. provide financial diplomatic support for the opposition. The IRI particularly does the training for the opposition in the Dominican Republic and we see the attempted coop in 2001 where Philippe was very involved in it. When the Haitian government asked for Philippe to be brought back to Haiti to be tried the IRI said he was not able to be found. But then again he was in Dominican Republic being trained and the U.S. sent weapons to the DR border and those weapons are being used in the current situation in Haiti. And then we see the resurfacing of Philippe. The U.S. has not denounced Philippe and Louis Jodel Chamblain for terrorizing the Haitian people and even now they are being supported when they should be arrested by now.

The ramifications are that the U.S. is giving the blood of the Haitian people to Philippe. We think it is wrong and takes away from the people's hope and dreams. The U.S., France and Canada are not supporting democracy with no process and basically supporting human rights violators.

...Washington, D.C.: So why didn't the US send in troops to stop the civil disorder before Aristide decided to leave?

Is it now US policy to support the backers of Papa Doc and Baby Doc?

Eugenia Charles-Mathurin: The US would have never sent support to assist President Aristide because they created the opposition. They've always supported every demand the opposition presented. We've seen Secretary Powell come out and say, we support the process of democracy. We don't want to overthrow an elected gov't. A few days later, a new plan was presented to Pres. Aristide, a plan that would have removed all of his power. He accepted it. The opposition rejected it and made a counter proposal that he be removed from office. Soon thereafter, Sec. Powell says, "We don't think PRes. Aristide is fit to govern Haiti." And in the blink of an eye, he was kidnapped and removed from the people who had elected him, without even giving him a chance to address them.

Yes, the US continues to show their support for Papa Doc and Baby Doc supporters, that include the former soldiers, members of FRAPH, and the Haitian elite. The US has never been interested in Haitians who are peasants, because they want to take away the land from them to build more factories, so the Haitian elite can get richer, the peasants will be forced out f their land, will have no education, and their children will be deprived of basic needs. It is also why they had rewrote the Haitian constitution in 1915 after they oocupied Haiti, making it possible for them to buy and own land in Haiti, something that the Haitian forefathers like Dessalines and Toussaint, who wrote the constitition, opposed. He said no foreigners should ever own land in Haiti.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20712-2004Mar1.html

[Darranar]

21. "Best interests of the Haitian people"??

Oh, please.

[Politicub]

22. I fear for Aristide and his family

Bush plays for keeps.

Iran/Contra II will be devastating to the GOP.

They trotted Cheney out today, and the arrogant SOB said, "it's time for him to go." WTF? This will be the right wing talking point on the radio and on the net.