Posted on 02/03/2006 5:40:36 AM PST by xzins
Rumsfeld Likens Chavez's Rise to Hitler
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) -
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld likened Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Adolf Hitler, reflecting continuing tension in relations between the United States and the Latin American government.
Rumsfeld, asked during a National Press Club appearance Thursday about indications of a deteriorating general relationship between Washington and parts of Latin America, said he believes such a characterization "misses the mark."
"We saw dictatorships there. And then we saw most of those countries, with the exception of Cuba, for the most part move towards democracies," he said. "We also saw corruption in that part of the world. And corruption is something that is corrosive of democracy."
The secretary acknowledged that "we've seen some populist leadership appealing to masses of people in those countries. And elections like Evo Morales in Bolivia take place that clearly are worrisome."
"I mean, we've got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money," Rumsfeld added. "He's a person who was elected legally - just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally - and then consolidated power and now is, of course, working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others."
There have been increasing signs of hostility between Washington and Caracas, and on Monday Chavez said Venezuela's intelligence agencies have "infiltrated" a group of military officials from the U.S. Embassy who were allegedly involved in espionage.
Venezuelan authorities, including the vice president, have accused officials at the U.S. Embassy of involvement in a spying case in which Venezuelan naval officers allegedly passed sensitive information to the Pentagon.
It was not the first such charge by Chavez.
He has accused President Bush of backing efforts to overthrow his leftist government, and specifically has charged that the United States supported a short-lived coup in 2002, fomented a devastating strike in 2004 and expelled some American missionaries from Venezuela for alleged links to the CIA.
Washington has repeatedly rejected the allegations.
How about border skirmishes with neighboring S. American countries.
That settles that, doesn't it? Thanks.
Again, Rusfeld used the word "rise." He compared Chavez to Hitler's RISE.
And, yes, Hitler demonized Jews long before he acted against them. The date of Kristalnacht....November 1938....was the official beginning of the pogrom.
The issue is similar tactics and behavior during the "rise."
Chavez is doing what Hitler did in 1933 and 1934, using his democratic election to consolidate power, persecute opponents etc. Try the V-Crisis website for some perspective on this. There will be elections in Venezuela later this year. They will look a lot less free than the previous ones moving in the direction of a one party election which is what happened to elections in Germany in the 1933-34 period. Its a good comparison for Rumsfeld to make. Hitler was a lot more than the Holocaust, although its his most notorious act. There's an old book called "Berlin Diary" by William L. Shirer, not to mention his large book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." Both books give perspective on the tactics and philosophy of Hitler and the Nazis that are replicated all over the world today from Islamofascist countries to the mainstream media in the United States to Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.
By that definition, there are more than a few folks out there "like Hitler". Why is Rumsfeld using it only on Chavez, and not Castro, or Hamas, or any of the others.
It absolutely dilutes the horror of the 3rd Reich. Mein Kampf was published in 1925, well before Hitler's rise. He pretty much laid out his intentions re: the Jews in that book.
Lots of countries have border dieputes. Invoking Hitler or Nazis with regard to some pipsqueak banana republic is ridiculous.
Next thing ya know, we'll start getting blasted daily about how dangerous Venezuela is, they are harboring terrorists and nukes, axis of evil, most dangerous, etc, and we have to attack, in order to make them democratic.
Citgo gas is all there is on the navy bases in the Norfolk area. It's just about the only gas I buy, 'cause it's cheaper and more convenient.
That would be Godwin's Law.
chavez was elected saying he would use oil revenues to benefit the poor. However, poverty has increased from 45% to 55% during his rule. This week he unilaterally increased the state take on oil. He has expropriated idle businesses and land for redistribution. Florida is full of refugees. People with money have escaped creating a brain and capital drain. As his mentor is Castro, I think his inspiration is communist, not Nazi.
OK
Hitler became Kanzler by appointment from von Hindenburg on 30 January 1933, in what was supposed to be a compromise coalition government with Franz von Papen, a former failed PM, serving as vice-chancellor. That arrangement lasted about 18 months, by which time von Hindenburg had died and Roehm's SA had eliminated the majority of Hitler's opponents' leadership, then was himself killed on Hitler's orders.
That the myth of Hitler's ''election'' is so persistent is absolutely astonishing. One would think that a smart chap like Rummy had read his history at some point. Guess not.
articles and commentary on chavez:
http://www.neoperspectives.com/chavez.htm
Why? In a parliamentary system with a multide of parties (Weimar Germany being one example), ruling parties are seldom in an outright majority. They build a coalition with other parties and the now majority group gets to govern. Hitler got to the post of Chancellor the way any other Weimar politician would have, that is be part of the governing coalition where the deal includes giving the post of Chancellor to that politician.
Hitler's plurality (the largest one at the time) would have made it undemocratic not to include the Nazis or to ask him and his party to attempt to form a government. It would have been the right thing to do, but uncustomary and discriminatory.
Personally, what I find astonishing are those who continue to try to spin Hitler's election as not being "real." Hitler was as elected as anyone can be in a parliamentary system with a fragmented electorate giving rise to many, many parties.
Venezuela takes over 32 privately operated oilfields ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1550432/posts
Venezuela's Oil Workers Moving On (Is Chavez driving PDVSA into the ground?) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1528254/posts
Chávez's socialism won't help Latin America; free trade will ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1518620/posts
Venezuela threatens to take over mines (Commie Alert) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1564432/posts
Venezuela: Seizing corn meal an option [price controls and communism] ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559894/posts
Has Citgo become a political tool for Hugo Chavez ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1557253/posts
Venezuala proposes 'Bank of the South' (Crazy Eddy Chavez at it again) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1557235/posts
Venezuelan shoppers face food shortages (classis case of socialism failing) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1555884/posts
Venezuela, Bolivia to Discuss Oil Issues-(Nationalization or eminent domain) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1551356/posts
Venezuela's coffee industry in chaos as price of beans doubles ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1556155/posts
Chavez (Venezuelan dictatar) Threatens Exxon ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543910/posts
Venezuela jails opposition leader ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1539882/posts
Unholy Trinity: CITGO, Kennedy, and International Terrorism ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1533302/posts
Chavez Announces Wage Hike in Venezuela ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1570756/posts
Chavez: Venezuela sees oil income boost ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1561910/posts
Oh Rummy, haven't you heard of Hitlerum ad absurdum?
And we should traat him as a Hitler wannabee and remove his pathetic carcass from power.
I'm becoming more convinced that either Cheney is getting old and senile or he thinks the average American is old and senile; neither of these is good. I mean 'Hitler' references, for crying out loud?
Can't he try something original? Maybe Nero? Calugula? Ghenguis Kahn? Hell, maybe even Sadaam! I mean there are plenty of tyrants to choose from when it comes to cheap similies to throw around the debate. Personally, I think you're a retard if you stoop that low, but if you must do it, Dick, come up with a new one.
The article was talking about a comment by Rummy..not Cheney.....(snif-snif)
What he doesn't tell you is that that hiring was necessitated by political purges of the previous PDVSA workforce.
They're honest people, and Chavez's political goons reamed them -- and nobody in the U.S. press/MSM peeped about it. They'd have screamed bloody murder if ExxonMobil or Amerada had carried through a bloodless purge of their U.S. workforces, targeting Democrats and minorities.
Chavez wants to use PDVSA, and everything else he has got, to screw with the United States. He hates our guts going all the way back to when he was a leftist punk with a gun, back in the early 60's. He's totally hardcore. He gave Osama Bin Laden $1 million just as a business card to get Osama's attention, after 9/11, because Chavez admired Bin Laden's attack.
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