Posted on 09/22/2006 2:18:37 PM PDT by Past Your Eyes
The US military's top general warned Friday that forces unfriendly to the United States are brewing in the Americas, arguing that "together we need to do something about it."
General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, singled out Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez who this week attacked President George W. Bush as the "devil" in a speech to the UN General Assembly.
"There have been increases in government actions that are not friendly to us," Pace said in a question-and-answer session with Pentagon employees. "President Chavez is clearly not a friend to the United States."
He said it would be interesting to see what impact Chavez's speech would have on Venezuela's quest for a seat on the US Security Council.
"He has also been sending money to other countries in South America to try to destabilize them or get elected those who he believes would follow in his footsteps," Pace said.
Noting that Cuba's Fidel Castro is ill, Pace suggested his passing would be an opportunity for political change there.
"Sooner or later, just like me, he's going to die," he said.
"And then the Cuban people will have an opportunity again to state who they are and establish the kind of a government they want to have," he said.
Pace described Latin America as "a large family" with common goals and aspirations.
"But we need to be alert to the fact that there are forces brewing right now that are not friendly to the United States and not friendly to other freedom-loving countries in this hemisphere. And together we need to do something about it," he said.
Chavez is a crackpot. And dangerous
http://www.cafenetamerica.com
Let me remind you that at one time Chavez had been removed from power only to be returned at least in part as a result of American involvement.
Think maybe that ought to be investigated?
Why wasn't he killed when he should have been?
Fortunately there are some friendly nations among them and we're going to need friends down there as the tin pot dictators of the region get into bed with terrorists.
Joe,
To hear my Venezuelan friends tell it, the coup and his deposition were staged to draw out his opposition and that his rule was never in danger. What the US did/said at that moment had little effect.
FWIW,
Mike
Marking
Assassinations of foreign elected officials should be a cornerstone of our foreign policy!
/sarcasm
CAn't our C.I.A. send him some poison cigars or something?
They have a track record ya know?
I believe there was some involvement by the State Dept the last time he got removed from power - when he was out at the airport, the question was whether to kill him or to exile him to Cuba. Because of lack of leadership among themselves and, supposedly, lack of support from us, they just gave up on the whole thing. When Bush made his statement congratulating the VZ people, the State Dept had already been in touch with VZ to do exactly the opposite.
That said, it is certainly possible that the coup was initially staged, at least in part. But my real question is why he was allowed to live after his first attempts to overthrow the VZ government years ago. As I recall, he was sentenced to death and then pardoned and not even given a life sentence. Big mistake. Did we have some involvement in that stupid decision?
NOt a cornerstone but it should not be ruled out when needed.
Or if a Hitler was ruining the world and you had a chance to take him or her out yu'd pass?
Good idea pal.
In the two days he was out of power, he blubbered like a baby and professed repentance. Incredibly, the Roman Catholic cardinal on the scene believed this bald-faced Communist liar and persuaded those holding him to let him go. That was an enormous blunder that we will be paying for for years, I'm afraid.
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