At first Hugo Chavez was a wacko; now Rummy chimes in.....

[Good Doctor HST]

Rumsfeld likens Venezuela’s Chavez to Hitler
Defense chief expresses concern at ‘populist leadership’ in Latin America

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11159503/

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld likened Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Adolf Hitler, reflecting continuing tension in relations between the United States and the Latin American government.

Rumsfeld, asked during a National Press Club appearance Thursday about indications of a deteriorating general relationship between Washington and parts of Latin America, said he believes such a characterization “misses the mark.”

“We saw dictatorships there. And then we saw most of those countries, with the exception of Cuba, for the most part move towards democracies,” he said. “We also saw corruption in that part of the world. And corruption is something that is corrosive of democracy.”

The secretary acknowledged that “we’ve seen some populist leadership appealing to masses of people in those countries. And elections like Evo Morales in Bolivia take place that clearly are worrisome.”

“I mean, we’ve got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money,” Rumsfeld added. “He’s a person who was elected legally — just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally — and then consolidated power and now is, of course, working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others.”

Rising tensions
There have been increasing signs of hostility between Washington and Caracas, and on Monday Chavez said Venezuela’s intelligence agencies have “infiltrated” a group of military officials from the U.S. Embassy who were allegedly involved in espionage.

Venezuelan authorities, including the vice president, have accused officials at the U.S. Embassy of involvement in a spying case in which Venezuelan naval officers allegedly passed sensitive information to the Pentagon.

It was not the first such charge by Chavez.

He has accused President Bush of backing efforts to overthrow his leftist government, and specifically has charged that the United States supported a short-lived coup in 2002, fomented a devastating strike in 2004 and expelled some American missionaries from Venezuela for alleged links to the CIA.

Washington has repeatedly rejected the allegations.

[Good Doctor HST]

Oh my God! I just found this:

The following comes from a Mike Caeser article in July 2005:

"During recent months, Venezuela has been buying 100,000 AK-47 rifles and military helicopters from Russia, as well as ships and planes from Brazil and Spain. The arms-buying spree worries Colombian leaders, while US officials have asked why Venezuela bought more rifles than it has soldiers. Those officials have suggested that excess rifles might be smuggled to illegal armed groups in Colombia.

"What in the world [is the threat] that Venezuela sees that makes them want to have all those weapons?" US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told the Miami Herald recently."


You've got to be kidding me!!! I don't know Rummy... maybe Hugo's a certified psychic? Or, and stay with me here, he's not BLIND?!

The whole article can be found at: http://peaceandjustice.org/article.php?story=20050705185421487

[Gold9472]

He's making alliances all over the world... do a search here for the word, "Venezuela" in the title... a shitload of articles come back.

[Partridge]

Sorry, couldn't resist.

“We saw dictatorships there [in fact, we not only saw them, we supported them]. And then we saw most of those countries, with the exception of Cuba, for the most part move towards democracies [despite our absolute best efforts!],” he said. “We also saw corruption in that part of the world. And corruption is something that is corrosive of democracy [as we well know in this country, in'that right Jack].”

The secretary acknowledged that “we’ve seen some populist leadership appealing to masses of people in those countries. And elections like Evo Morales in Bolivia take place that clearly are worrisome [for OUR interests in the region].”

“I mean, we’ve got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money,” Rumsfeld added. “He’s a person who was elected legally — just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally — and then consolidated power and now is, of course, working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others.” [Hitler was elected legally, this much is true, with only 33% of the vote. He was appointed Chancellor by Von Hindenberg - obviously on the orders of the ruling class. Chavez on the other hand has always won clear majorities, and unlike the good President of a certain country to the north of Venezuela, has not passed his equivilent of the Enabling Act.]

[Gold9472]

:)

[Gold9472]

Hugo is not a dumb man. He smells fascism when it's ripe.

[PhilosophyGenius]

Oh my God! I just found this:

The following comes from a Mike Caeser article in July 2005:

"During recent months, Venezuela has been buying 100,000 AK-47 rifles and military helicopters from Russia, as well as ships and planes from Brazil and Spain. The arms-buying spree worries Colombian leaders, while US officials have asked why Venezuela bought more rifles than it has soldiers. Those officials have suggested that excess rifles might be smuggled to illegal armed groups in Colombia.

"What in the world [is the threat] that Venezuela sees that makes them want to have all those weapons?" US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told the Miami Herald recently."


You've got to be kidding me!!! I don't know Rummy... maybe Hugo's a certified psychic? Or, and stay with me here, he's not BLIND?!

The whole article can be found at: http://peaceandjustice.org/article.php?story=20050705185421487

You think that's crazy, check this out:
http://yourbbsucks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7823

[Partridge]

Things be hotting up:

US to expel Venezuelan diplomat (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4679266.stm) in response to Venezuela expels US naval 'spy' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4675572.stm).

Analysis piece on Rumsfeld rhetoric from Counterpunch/Venezulea FOIA (http://counterpunch.org/golinger02032006.html).

[Gold9472]

Holy freholes.

[Good Doctor HST]

Excerpt from a Jan. 5 Zmag article by Stephen Lendman

(entire article link: http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=9462)


Investigative journalist and author Eva Golinger has uncovered top secret CIA documents, obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, of U.S. involvement in the April, 2002 two day aborted coup temporarily ousting President Chavez. It involved CIA complicity and an intricate financing scheme beginning in 2001 involving the quasi-governmental agency National Endowment for Democracy (NED), funded entirely by the Congress, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). These agencies, in turn, provided funding to Chavez opposition groups (USAID through its Office of Transition Initiatives - OTI) which, in turn, were involved in staging the mass and violent street protests leading up to and on the day of the coup. NED and USAID also funded other destabilizing activities such as the crippling oil strike in late 2002 and 2003 and the August, 2004 recall referendum that failed to unseat the President. The documents Golinger obtained clearly showed the U.S. State Department, National Security Agency and White House had full knowledge of these activities and must have approved of them.

As it did in Haiti in February, 2004 after the U.S. led coup ousted President Aristide, the U.S. falsely claimed in April, 2002 that Chavez had resigned when, in fact, he'd been arrested by complicit high level officers in the Venezuelan military. After his arrest and removal from the Palacio De Miraflores (the Presidential Palace) Pedro Carmona, head of Venezuela's confederation of business and industry (Fedecamaras) declared himself President, immediately dismissed the National Assembly and other democratic institutions and began to annul the Chavez Bolivarian reforms. All of this enraged Chavez supporters who rallied en masse, got the support of others in the Venezuelan military and forced the reinstatement of President Chavez two days later.

Since his return to office, President Chavez has clearly been on the U.S. target list as evidenced by U.S. involvement in the 2002-03 oil strike and failed 2004 recall referendum. Although unsuccessful in three attempts, U.S. intervention in the past has shown itself to be innovative and able to adopt new tactics after failed destabilization attempts. Because controlling Venezuela with its vast hydrocarbon reserves is so important to the U.S., it seems only a matter of time before the next attempt is made to depose Hugo Chavez. A fourth intervention most likely would occur either when Chavez runs for reelection in 2006 or possibly before he completes his current term.

Hugo Chavez himself believes there's a U.S. plot to assassinate him. He may be right. There's also some credible evidence of a 2004 coup attempt by neighboring Columbian forces who were arrested in May of that year at a ranch in Buruta just outside of Caracas. Those arrested said they were sent there to prepare an attack against a Venezuelan National Guard base to steal weapons and fully arm a 3,000 force militia.