Posted on 03/03/2008 3:34:08 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Venezuela threatened to declare war on neighbouring Colombia last night, raising the prospect of the U.S. being drawn into conflict in South America.
Venezuela's Left-wing president Hugo Chavez ordered ten tank battalions to the Colombian border and put war-planes under emergency stand-by.
The tension follows Colombia's decision to send its army to strike against anti-government guerrillas hiding in the jungles of Ecuador.
The surprise attack - launched without Ecuador's permission - killed Raul Reyes, a top commander in the Left-wing Colombian rebel group Farc, and about 16 of his men.
President Chavez yesterday closed the Colombian embassy in Caracas, warning that any similar entry into his country's territory after the rebels would be "cause for war".
The U.S. would almost certainly come to Colombia's aid if oil-rich Venezuela launched an invasion. But Washington-based diplomats played down the brouhaha and said it might be no more than bluster from Chavez, an outspoken opponent of the U.S.
However, Pentagon sources said Colombia had been warned not to allow its hunt for Farc rebels to cross Venezuela's borders.
Over the last few weeks President Chavez, who is very close to new Cuban President Raul Castro, has been in negotiations with Farc leaders and has persuaded them to hand over some of the hostages they have been holding for years.
While the US has bitterly deteriorating relations with Venezuela it has recently improved ties to Colombia and has troops in that country helping in the fight against the massive illicit cocaine trade.
President Chavez moved quickly yesterday to close the Colombian embassy in Caracas and to declare on national television that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was a "criminal."
He said the killing of the rebel leader was a "cowardly murder."
President Chavez said that any similar incursion into Venezuelan territory after the rebels would be seen as a "cause for war."
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has called the killing of the rebels inside his country "scandalous."
According to Pentagon sources the US has warned Colombia not to let its military venture into Venezuela in pursuit of Farc guerrillas and there is no indication that they have done so.
The US is hoping that President Chavez – known for making extravagant claims – is on no more than a sabre-rattling exercise with no real intention of going to war.
3 AM might be the time.
LOL
Best we could do is keep our nose out of it. Let those two wacky countries fight between themselves.
If Chavez gave FARC $300 million, President Bush is honor- and duty-bound to treat Chavez like the terrorist he is.
Let them pummel each other into the dirt.
Let those two wacky countries fight between themselves.
Do you know that Columbia is our good ally?
Colombia
Chaveez is setting us up. Send in unmarked planes....
Yeah, just ask the Dems.
I don’t want to get too involved but if Columbia needs equipment or even any air support we should give it to them. Sluggo is begging for a fight and he should get one.
i don’t think so,
I think a flight wing of A-10s would do wonders to ger hugo to pay attention.
Take out his tanks in about 2 hours and send a flight of F-117 aircraft over Caracus.
Colombia has made a sharp turn to conservatism in the past year, has become a pro-American ally, the conservative Columbian Government has cleaned up the country and driven the Communist guerillas out of their country and, when the Communist neighbor attacks, we should allow them to "pummel each other into the dirt"?
Hmmm.
The next time the Arabs attack Israel, should we just let the two parties "pummel each other into the dirt"?
Where’s Cindy Shee-hag when you reeeheeheeeellly need her?!
Sean Pen? Michael Moore? Any moral explanations? But we need you to go there immediately to see what’s up.......(Please?)
If we got into a shooting war down there, I would hope we would have enough sense AND cajonies to put a bullet in Chavez unlike Bush # 1 did with Saddam in the first gulf war. GET THE DAMN JOB DONE RIGHT !!!
If we are asked for it, we should offer it. If we are asked, we should dispatch Hugo and his supporters, all of them, and maybe countries like Israel would get on board.
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2007 4:20 PM PT
Latin America: As U.S. allies go, we can't get one better than Colombia. It helps us a lot and now seeks free trade. But all it gets from Congress is a slap in the face. We now risk losing a vital ally.....
President Bush is also duty and honor-bound to kick Iran a new asshole — but don’t hold your breath.
You throw the term ‘ally’ around like they are sacrificing their nation supporting us. Ally went out fad after WWII.
Secondly, Pres. Bush has been aloof watching our backyard in SA and Latin America. Of all thats going on, watching our Southern neighbors should have been a priority.
Have there been any comments from Bush, Hillary or Obama about this situation?
I haven’t been able to find any.
“The next time the Arabs attack Israel, should we just let the two parties “pummel each other into the dirt”?”
Israel did handle its neighbors by itself in 2 wars, and even took out one of our ships to boot!
“If Chavez gave FARC $300 million, President Bush is honor- and duty-bound to treat Chavez like the terrorist he is.”
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You mean like the $500,000,000 Bush recently gave the peace loving Islamofascist, suicide bombers of Fatah, or perhaps how he was honor bound to recognize the independence of the KLA Mohammedan terror statelet that he and McCain have been financing for years in the Balkans?
Balderdasish drivel
If we had stayed out of it and left Israel alone they would have already ‘taken care’ of the Arabs. But no, we have to stick our noses in at every turn and put them on the road to ‘peace’.
Yes. We can take care of ourselves.
I looked around and found the Army of Venezuela Tanks and combat vehicles are:
86 AMX-30V Main battle tank- (82 AMX-30V +4 AMX-30D)
36 AMX-13C.90 Light tank
78 Scorpion 90 FV-101 Light tank
42 Dragoon 300 LFV2 Light tank
and a hint of a few Leopard 2.
One enchanted evening a few A-10s might find this a target rich environment!
I favor cluster-bombs. Puts terror in infantry troops.
I beg to differ.
Anyone who wants to see Colombia pummeled into the dirt is either ignorant of geopolitics or making the comment based on ethnic bigotry.
Possibly both.
Might be an opportunity to take that S.O.B. out ! He has been a thorn in our side too long. Thanks to him, gas prices have been high since 1999/2000. Then we can take their oil.
Oh hell!
Oh man, War is Hell.
So you like a communist country, alied with Iran, undermining the sovereignty of a democratic ally of ours?
Lol. Aka, China?
The US should have intervened the day Chavez was elected. I never understood why the CIA didn’t take care of this guy. It was apparent from the day he took office that he was going to cause this kind of trouble.
No, I don’t list Columbia as our best ally. With your same reasoning, I suppose you’d place Australia and England below Columbia? Give Columbia another decade or so and then I might move them above the mid-mark.
The CIA has a lot of honorable and good men and women. It also has a lot of traitors. I wish the good guys could boot the bad ones.
Israel did handle its neighbors by itself in 2 wars,
Wrong.
Israel cannot wage a major war without massive U.S. logistical support.
Six Day War:
Yom Kippur War:
In the Yom Kippur War, Operation Nickel Grass dwarfed the Berlin Airlift.
Nickel Grass: The airlift that saved Israel
***********
"Amateurs talk about strategy, dilettantes talk about tactics, and professionals talk about logistics."
Colombia is a great country which absolutely loves the US and has supported us in the efforts to end the drug war. I’ve been there a number of times and love the place.
Why, because many of the people of that corrupt country smuggle hundred of tons of dope into America as a matter of routine, and because they import illegal aliens and violent gangs into America?
The US is hoping that President Chavez – known for making extravagant claims – is on no more than a sabre-rattling exercise
Personally, I hope that he is deadly serious and primed for action.
I would not give those tanks 48 hours. Our planes will decimate them if they cross over into Columbia.
I stand corrected, except the part about the Liberty.
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