Chavez: What Bolivar is to us, Gadafi is to Libya. (Spanish)

[Bacchus39]

http://www.eluniversal.com/2011/02/21/int_esp_chavez:-lo-que-es-b_21A5198971.shtml

Caracas.- El presidente Hugo Chávez ha mantenido una estrecha relación con el presidente de Libia, Muammar Gadafi, quien se encuentra en el centro de la noticia, tras seis días de una rebelión que ha dejado centenas de muertos en el país africano.

En el marco de la II Cumbre de América Latina - África realizada en septiembre de 2009 en la Isla de Margarita, el máximo líder de Libia, Gadafi fue el invitado especial. Le fue otorgado por el presidente Chávez el collar de la Orden del Libertador y le regaló una réplica de la espada del libertador Simón Bolívar.

"Compañero presidente, esta es la réplica de la espada que libertó América hace 200 años. Es una joya, se la regalaron los pueblos a Bolívar (...). Esta espada está viva y hoy anda por América Latina (…) En nombre de nuestro pueblo, de la revolución bolivariana, te la entrego a ti (Gadafi), soldado revolucionario, líder del pueblo libio, de la revolución libia, de los pueblos de África y líder también para los pueblos de América Latina", dijo Chávez, durante el acto celebrado en el estado Nueva Esparta.

En otra parte de su alocución, que fue transmitida en cadena de Radio y TV, Chávez resaltó que "lo que es Bolívar para nosotros, es Muamar al Gadafi para el pueblo libio".

[gratuitous]

1. And all through the 90s right up until last week

U.S. foreign policy agreed with that estimation in all practical respects, because Gaddafi had "reformed" and was a bulwark of stability against "terrorism." And stuff.

[Bacchus39]

2. I never saw anyone comparing Gadafi to Washington n/t

s

[mainer]

9. Read what the Washington Post said about Gaddafi in 2007

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401328.html

[Bacchus39]

13. that was an opinion piece written for the Washington Post, not a WP editiorial n/t

s

[LeftinOH]

3. Queue the Chavez supporters. Gadafi hasn't been "president" of Libya for

more than 40 years because of popular will -and Chavez knows this.

[Bacchus39]

4. I doubt we will see many of them on this issue n/t

s

[geek tragedy]

6. They will Unrec in silence. nt

[geek tragedy]

5. Chavez has some weird, almost sexual attraction towards the worst dictators on the planet.

His BFF's are guys like Gadafi, Mugabe, Ahmedinejad.

Cuba's state press is denouncing what's going on in Libya, for point of contrast.

[NYC Liberal]

7. Yep. And before anyone says it, yes, the US has supported a lot of dictators

But I am disgusted when we do it AND when other people do it.

[geek tragedy]

10. Chavez reminds me of the sanctimonious anti-Communists of the Cold War.

If a dictator hated the Soviet Union, the wingnuts loved him and would compare his thugs to the Founding Fathers. So it is with Chavez, only this time his criteria is anyone who hates the United States, though being a fellow oil exporter certainly adds extra points.

[sufrommich]

8. Machismo overload. He suffers from it. nt

[geek tragedy]

15. I withdraw any credit I gave Castro's regime, now that he also is defending

his fellow dictator Gadafi.

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. Not really. He just like whoever claims to be the biggest enemy of the United States

[Zorro]

11. But Gaddafi is a US ally so the US is responsible for him

I know this because a Chavista foreign policy savant told me so.

[David__77]

12. He is right about the US ally Gaddafi, to a point.

Gaddadi, who shed his anti-imperialism and willfully abandoned Libya's national defenses in the face of US blackmail, is probably the glue holding Libya together. To that extent Chavez is right. And Gaddafi retains a real base of support in the country, as we shall see. But Chavez is being far too pragmatic in his foreign policy, in the name of a united front that he cannot forge solely.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. Do we bomb our allies? I seem to remember an airstrike and him losing some planes to the USN

Gaddafi is not a US ally. He has however become a bit more civilized over the years.

[geek tragedy]

17. He's become less active internationally.

As witnessed by the savagery of his response to the demonstrators, he has not become any more civilized.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

18. I can accept that statement

[David__77]

25. Of course the US bombs its allies.

Saddam Hussein was a US ally. So too was Manuel Noriega. The US allies are generally a terrible bunch, oppressing people to further US geostrategic aims.

[JVS]

28. Not only do we bomb our allies, we've been known to defoliate our allies.

We like to treat them rough from time to time.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Gadafi is "The Leader of the Revolution", which means those against him are

counter revolutionaries. At least that is the meme.

That Gadafi and Chavez are hanging tight should surprise no one.

[EFerrari]

19. Using a two year old speech to poke at Chavez?

That's fine although, it seems like a strange priority today.

What I find from both the Venezuelan government and from Cuba is the hope that the Libyan people can resolve their conflict peacefully and without interference. Fidel quotes the Venezuelan FM in his last column:

Those who with perfidious intentions invented the lie that Gaddafi was headed for Venezuela, just as they did yesterday afternoon on Sunday the 20th of February, today received an fitting response from Foreign Affairs Minister Nicolas Maduro when he literally stated that he was “wishing that the Libyan people would find, in the exercise of their sovereignty, a peaceful solution to their difficulties, that would preserve the integrity of the Libyan people and nation, without the interference of imperialism...”

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=266149&Itemid=1

And of course, unrec, for posting an OP in another language without bothering to provide a context.

[Bacchus39]

21. Castro: too early to criticize Libyan government

Fidel Castro says US plans NATO invasion of Libya
HAVANA – Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro says it's too early to criticize Libya's government — but just the moment to denounce something says is planned: A U.S.-led invasion of the North African nation.

Castro uses a column published in Cuban media on Tuesday to accuse the United States of planning a NATO invasion of Libya to control its oil. He says that might happen "in a question of hours or very short days."

He says the plan "has to be denounced."

The Communist revolutionary is more cautious about reports by Arab and Western news media that troops loyal to his Libyan ally Moammar Gadhafi have slaughtered civilian protesters. Castro says, "We have to wait the necessary time to know with rigor how much is fact or lie."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110222/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_castro_libya

p.s. Gaddafi is to Libya, what Bolivar is to Venezuela. lol

[devilgrrl]

20. Hugo Chavez used to play marbles with Gadafi when they were little kids

:popcorn:

[sufrommich]

22. That schtick is gettiing old. nt

[devilgrrl]

27. Not any older than the hysteria from our Corporate media.

:popcorn:

[Puregonzo1188]

24. This is so dishonest. You're quoting Chavez from two years ago and acting like the quote is in

reference to.

And sadly people are falling for it.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.eluniversal.com/2011/02/21/int_esp_chavez:-lo-que-es-b_21A5198971.shtml&ei=QeRjTZfJFMGs8AaUk6jSCw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.eluniversal.com/2011/02/21/int_esp_chavez:-lo-que-es-b_21A5198971.shtml%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Divns

Here's the article translated into English.

Really sad.


Unrec for intentional intellectual dishonesty.

[Bacchus39]

26. no, I am citing an article relevant to recent events

its not my fault that Chavez says idiotic things

[roamer65]

29. Right or wrong, he's done a lot more for Venezuela than Peres ever did.