Politics As Usual

Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist met with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. on Monday to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement, a pact the presidential candidate opposes.

Attendance by the adviser, Mark Penn, was confirmed by two Colombian officials. He wasn't there in his campaign role, but in his separate job as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, an international communications and lobbying firm.

[...]

Howard Wolfson, communications director for Sen. Clinton's campaign, said in an email that "Mark was not there on behalf of the campaign" and referred further questions to Burson-Marsteller. "Sen. Clinton's opposition to the trade deal with Colombia is clear," Mr. Wolfson added.

  WSJ

You say this is her chief strategist? A lobbyist who works for something she claims to be against? Nice choice, Hill.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

It's a Brand New Week

Okay, now that I'm back at the computer, here we go....

European, Asian Markets Sink After Wall Street's Drop Renews US Recession Worries

Venezuela, Ecuador deploy troops in Colombia dispute

US Launches Airstrike in Somalia

Let's see...what was it the ex-CIA head of the bin Laden unit, Michael Scheuer, told NPR last week? We'll go after terrorists wherever there's oil. (Particularly if someone else stands to get control of it.)

American taxpayers helping to shoot down planes in Latin America

President Bush on Wednesday authorized the United States to continue helping Colombian authorities ground or even shoot down planes suspected of carrying illegal drugs.

  Detroit Free Press article

"Suspected", mind you. And have we forgotten that a bunch of innocent (well, innocent of drug charges) American missionaries were killed in this very same "suspected" manner?

The program resumed over Colombia in August 2003 under stricter procedures: Suspicious flights first must be ordered to land and warning shots fired before it can be shot down. Also, no plane can be shot down by the air force without a direct order from the commander of the Colombian Air Force.

Well, I feel much better about it now.

WIIIAI comments:

This is just a little reminder that Americans have been sent by our government to help kill people, without trial, for something that is not a capital crime in our country.

[...]

It would also have been nice if the AP had mentioned how many planes have been shot down under this program; I know dozens have been in Peru but I’ve never seem a number for Colombia.

[...]

Bush claimed the Colombians are working to “minimize the loss of innocent life,” although evidently not by refraining from shooting at airplanes. Best way to minimize loss of life, innocent or otherwise: stop with the shooting.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

Our early out

The plan:

A US company operating out of Ecuador says it has signed up about 1,000 Colombian police and military staff to work as hired guns in Iraq, for less than half of their US counterparts' salaries.

  ABC Australia article

A bargain.

The need to "punish"

Caracas, Venezuela, August 8, 2005 —President Chavez confirmed earlier reports that Venezuela will suspend its cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States. Chavez accused the DEA of being engaged in espionage and drug trafficking.

Chavez assured that Venezuela would continue to combat drugs, but that it would do so without the help of the DEA. That is, Venezuelan officials would cooperate with other foreign drug enforcement agencies, such as those of Colombia, France, Spain, Russia, and China. “The DEA isn't absolutely necessary for the fight against drug trafficking,” said Chavez.

[...]

Two weeks ago Minister of the Interior and of justice, Jesse Chacon, was the first to announce the break-off of the government’s cooperation with the DEA, saying that the DEA was operating above Venezuelan law and outside of the control or oversight of Venezuelan authorities in Venezuela. “The war on narco-trafficking will be conducted from Venezuela territory under parameters defined by the Venezuelan government and that means that no international organ is above the Venezuelan law,” said Chacon. “If the DEA wants to work with the Venezuelan government, it should do so under defined parameters or at least on the basis of a bilateral agreement that respects the principle of reciprocity,” he added.

  Venezuelanalysis article

Chávez said that, far from abandoning efforts to combat trafficking and money laundering in his own country, his government had decided that – as Narco News has reported for over five years – the DEA’s war on drugs has nothing to do with actually shutting down the business, but is rather part of a strategy of political intervention in Latin American affairs.

Ereli’s limp response was to charge that Venezuela’s statements about DEA crimes are merely noise designed to distract from what he said was the country’s own increasingly poor performance on drug control, a statement which the U.S. government’s own past statements and reports show to be untrue. Ereli furthermore revived one of the U.S.’s oldest political weapons in the drug war, threatening to end Venezuela’s certification as a country participating in anti-drug efforts.

[...]

The United States has only ever denied counter-narcotics certification to two Latin American countries. One is Colombia. The other is Panama, and that certification denial was quickly followed by a bloody U.S. invasion.

  Narco News article

The United States is considering punishing Venezuela with sanctions for breaking off work with U.S. anti-drug agents in the world's top cocaine-exporting region, the State Department said on Monday.

In a new blow to fraying ties between the United States and a key oil supplier, President Hugo Chávez said on Sunday he had suspended cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration because it was unnecessary and accused the U.S. agency of spying on his government.

[...]

Chávez said Venezuela would continue to work with international
organizations to combat drug trafficking.

Next month, the State Department must by law judge if Venezuela has failed to cooperate in the drug war, a decision that could trigger a range of sanctions including blocking cheap credit for businesses and counternarcotics aid.

  NY Times article

Previous Venezuela posts
More on Venezuela

And more on the phony "drug war".