Posted on 11/13/2009 5:34:25 PM PST by george76
Hugo Chavez is stirring trouble with Colombia to disguise domestic failures and Venezuela would be "mad" to enter a conflict with its neighbor.
Perez said the Venezuelan leader's recent controversial exhortation to his army to "prepare for war" was a political smoke screen.
"He is obviously trying to distract attention from the immense failure of his government after 10 years in power," Perez said at his home in San Cristobal, capital of Tachira.
"In Venezuela today, there is neither electricity nor water on a permanent basis. The crime figures are battering us all. The country has gone backward enormously in 10 years."
Several Venezuelan opposition leaders are living abroad, jailed or under investigation. Perez denied links to paramilitaries, saying left-wing rebels were also present in Tachira with the connivance of the Chavez government.
"The president has begun a dirty war against me because I committed a big crime: winning the Tachira election,"
"It's a sort of punishment by the national government for the people of Tachira because they have not submitted to the leader's ways and to his 21st century socialism."
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com.my ...
Yes, Venezuela would be insane to attack Columbia, but then I do not think Hugo Chavez is playing with a full deck. He just might do the Western Hemisphere a service by getting his ass kicked by the Columbian army.
Chavez is in a no-lose situation by provoking war with Columbia.
Even if he can’t get Fidel or Obama to back him overtly- if he starts losing- his friends abroad will at least intervene as “peacekeepers” to stop his total defeat.
In the mean time, his adventures can be used for both marxist and nationalist propaganda.
Just think 15 years ago one 7.62 round wound have prevented all this crap.
The good news is they can look forward to a booming low power rice cooker industry to spring up!
And soon they can join the ranks of having large numbers of citizens becoming avid amateur astronomers like the Norks!
I’d like them to go to war: The Columbians then (they should stir up the Venezuelan resistance) while also giving Hugo a big but-kicking!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.