Aristide Bows to Pressure, Leaves Haiti

AP via C-SPAN

[leadpenny]

Host just said story broke on AP about 2 minutes ago.

[ChadGore]

Aristide Leaves Violence-Torn Haiti
Haitian supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide show five finger signs, indicating the number of years in Aristide's presidential term, during a demonstration in Port-au-Prince on February 28, 2004. Aristide called for an end to violence, as rebels advanced to within 30 miles of Haiti's capital after his armed loyalists terrorized residents of the city. At least 65 people have been killed during the revolt against Aristide, accused of corruption and political thuggery by his foes. (Andrew Winning/Reuters)

[Freebird Forever]

IMHO when a US ship appears, and a strong White House says tells him to get out, he gets out.

Let's hope Chavez in Venezuela is next.

[wretchard]

The fact that Aristide had to stage off the Dominican Republic and has only Morocco, Taiwan and Panama as his choice of places of exile means the man is a pariah. The US is probably out because of his association with Jacques Beaudouin Kétant, a drug lord who is said to have named Aristide as involved in the racket.

[Rome2000]

Another Xlintoon foreign policy success.

One less crooked communist SOB in the Caribbean.

[Jim Noble]

He and many of his supporters really needed to be destroyed..

Well, the supporters are probably already being destroyed.

Ti Tid is enough of a psycho that I don't think the International Left will pick up his option...

[White Eagle]

What would other countries want with Haiti? Whoever takes over has to feed the 80% unemployed. This will be the global equivalent of an orphanage.

[FreedomPoster]

I don't disagree. And I'm sure he got out with a lot, relatively, but the place is so desolate it's unbelieveable. There can't be much there to be had, other than what gets looted from Int'l aid.

[Rome2000]

Congressional Black Caucus on Haiti:


After President Bush rejected Haitian President Aristide's appeal for immediate security assistance from the international community, members of the Congressional Black Caucus expressed their concern at what they say is Bush's refusal to preserve the democratically elected government in Haiti. We speak with Black Caucus member Rep. Maxine Waters.

Today at the United Nations, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency session on the embattled Caribbean nation. Meanwhile in Washington, the House Intelligence Committee is holding a closed door meeting with Roger Noriega, the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemispheric Affairs and other US officials running Washington's Haiti policy.

Late yesterday, France called on Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to resign and said a United Nations-backed security force should be deployed to Haiti to stabilize the country. Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepan said Aristide's government has lost its legitimacy and should be replaced.

President Bush yesterday rejected President Aristide's appeal for immediate security assistance from the international community to head off bloody insurrection, saying the US would "encourage the international community to provide a security presence" only after there was what Bush called a "political settlement." That remark confused some observers, given that it is Aristide's opponents that have rejected Washington's so-called peace initiative. Aristide accepted the plan. At the White House yesterday, Bush also warned Haitians not to flee to the United States.

Bush's statements yesterday immediately drew fire from members of the Congressional Black Caucus. At a press conference yesterday, Rep. Elijah Cummings and Congressmember Charlie Rangel addressed reporters.

That was Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland speaking at a press conference yesterday.

Shortly after Bush made his remarks, Black Caucus members rushed to the White House to express concern at what they say is Bush's refusal to preserve the democratically elected government in Haiti. They first met US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and ultimately demanded to meet with Bush. Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card were there as well. This comes a day after Ira Kurzban, the lawyer for the Haitian government, said on this program that the US is arming and training the paramilitaries currently fighting to topple Aristide's government.

Rep. Maxine Waters, Democratic Congressmember from California serving in her seventh term. She is the Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party and serves as Co-Chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee. She is the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Listen To Audio http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/02/26/1612207 add your comments

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

So now he's AWOL unless he's got the paperwork to prove that he isn't.

When asked where he wanted to move, he said "I don't care too much, just someplace where they speak English." So that's probably not America.

[hershey]

If Kerry gets in, Aristede will be back with US money to buy tires and gasoline to fix up Haiti for good. Mad Maddie will be on every Sunday talk show to demand Kerry make it his first priority. (Besides, Haiti is all Bush's fault.)

[mewzilla]

What was looted from int'l aid was plenty, more than enough. And it could've made a big difference to the people of Haiti if it had gotten to where it was supposed to.

Which reminds me, where was Congress during all this? We send money down there and Congress can't be bothered to investigate to see if it's going where it's supposed to? So much for oversight.

[areafiftyone]

Oh she will. She is on the bully pulpit in a few states already spewing her hatred for Bush. She is plannintg her run for Senator in 2006 and there will be no stopping her now. She is someone who starts early when she campaigns. I know she is going to get re-elected if we don't get someone who can beat her. WE NEED GUILIANI!!! If we don't get Guiliani to run against her we will be seeing her in the Senate for another term in 2006.

[AlbionGirl]

I think you're probably right. Latest WaPo/CBS poll looks bad for President Bush, and I'm more than a little worried.

[NZerFromHK]

I have been thinking that, if you happen to have a President Kerry, it means Hillary will not be the first female US President - she would be too old by 2012.

Secondly, (perhaps I'm speaking heresy here), Hillary is a centrist (or even centre-right) in much of the non-US Western world. There are plenty more people left-wing than her (eg the current NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Canadian PM Paul Martin, or even Jimmy Carter).

I think even if she became US president either this year or in 2008, she would be as hawkish as GW on these issues, or perhaps even more conservative. Of course socially or economically she would just spend, spend, spend.

[Semi Civil Servant]

Voltaire said Aristide, Haiti's first democratically elected president in 200 years of independence, was flying to the Dominican Republic and would seek asylum in Morocco, Taiwan or Panama.

At least the US won't have to pay for the lifetime care and feeding of another petty potentate, his family and his entourage. These little princes never seem to be required to work after they flee their pitch-fork waving serfs.

[AlbionGirl]

Interesting take.

The thing I'm really afraid of is that the democrats don't take the terrorists seriously, and while I'm worried about another slam on home turf, what I'm doubly concerned about is that should that slam be radioactive, you probably can kiss the Constitution goodbye. Martial Law will be put into effect, and the Patriot Act, already established, will be there for the democrats taking.

That is why the old admonishment to take into consideration how the opposition would use the legislation you create is sound. Hard cases usually make for very, very bad law.

My hope is that if Kerry or Edwards is elected, they rise to the occasion. I'm voting for President Bush, but that's the extent of the power I have to control the outcome of the situation that fuels my fears.

[skip2myloo]

I would hope we wouldn't allow him to enter the U.S,

[PLK]

the place is so desolate it's unbelieveable

Take a beautiful island in the Caribbean that could be a tourist paradise with tourism dollars providing a good living for every inhabitant, and turn it into a pigsty. How does this happen?

The Caribbean islands once governed by the British, French, and U.S. who have been turned over to the locals are borderline. When I was in the Bahamas I saw a lot of poverty, abandoned & stripped bare former resorts, fences topped with razor wire surrounding nice hotels, etc. What's the problem?

[NZerFromHK]

Good on you. My guess is that W will stay on until 2008 and I hope you can manage to get a US Republican with platforms like these as the candidate for 2008:

http://www.act.org.nz/policy.jsp

(It would be great if he could manage to get bits of Roger Douglas or Ruth Richardson for his economic and trade policies, Thomas Sowell for minority/ethnic relations and education, and CATO Institute for tort reforms)

[Viet Vet in Augusta GA]

He is now polling second, ahead of John Edwards but behind John Kerry, in the Democratic Super Tuesday primaries...