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Obama to Chavez: Pound sand (Obama kicks Venezuelan Ambassador out of the US)
Hotair ^ | 12/30/2010 | Ed Morrisey

Posted on 12/30/2010 7:37:09 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Well, well, well. Do we detect a hint of sulfur in Barack Obama’s reaction to Hugo Chavez today? President Obama has kicked the Venezuelan ambassador out of the US in retaliation for the rejection of Obama’s choice of ambassador to Venezuela:

Washington has revoked the visa of the Venezuelan ambassador to the US, the US state department has said.

The move comes amid a diplomatic dispute between the two countries over President Barack Obama’s choice of ambassador to Caracas, Larry Palmer. …

The US move in effect expels Venezuelan envoy Bernardo Alvarez Herrera.

Alvarez Herrera isn’t in the US at the moment, which means Obama effectively locked him out of the country. Venezuelan officials in Caracas confirmed the revocation on Twitter this morning. That leaves both countries without an official representative in the respective capitals.

Obama essentially called Chavez’ bluff with strictly reciprocal action. Chavez dared him to cut diplomatic ties altogether, but Obama didn’t go that far. Officially, diplomatic ties remain in place and both embassies remain in operation. If Chavez wants to cut diplomatic ties, he’ll have to do it himself.

Undoubtedly, Chavez will escalate his war of words against Obama and the US, but he’d better be careful. The US is the major consumer of Venezuelan oil, the only real source of income Chavez has. We can find our own oil — if Obama lets us — but Chavez may find it more difficult to unload his highly sulfuric crude elsewhere. The US has the best ability to refine it, and his new allies in Iran and Russia are net oil exporters, not importers. If Chavez manages to entirely kill the oil industry, which is the long-term direction he’s taking anyway, the shortages and poverty it will cause will eventually find him fleeing Venezuela for asylum in Tehran or Moscow, or perhaps on the wrong end of a military coup.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hugochavez; obama; venezuela; venezuelaambassador
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To: SeekAndFind

“Maybe the November elections might have somthing to do with this.”

You know they did!

Obama is doing some political posturing as a follow-up to his “bipartisan” tax compromise.

There is no political figure in the Western Hemisphere that is loved and admired more by Obama and his WH czars than Hugo Chavez.


21 posted on 12/30/2010 8:30:06 AM PST by Scanian
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To: henry_reardon

Interest in re-election?

Regular dog and pony show; don’t fall for it.


22 posted on 12/30/2010 8:31:32 AM PST by Scanian
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To: henry_reardon

Interest in re-election?

Regular dog and pony show; don’t fall for it.


23 posted on 12/30/2010 8:32:30 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Carl LaFong

No, but I did say “dog and pony show.”

I think that’s about the same, isn’t it?


24 posted on 12/30/2010 8:33:39 AM PST by Scanian
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To: himno hero

Did you notice him doing that for any leader who 1)is a major oil producer or 2)we owe big money to?

I can’t think of any.


25 posted on 12/30/2010 8:35:27 AM PST by Scanian
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To: SeekAndFind

Not sure what’s funnier - the pissing match or the fact that Chavez uses Twitter.


26 posted on 12/30/2010 8:39:19 AM PST by agrace
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: SeekAndFind

But...but... I thought obama said Hugo was a GREAT guy! After all, didn’t Chavez give him his book that obama just cherished??

I’m so confused!!! ;-)


28 posted on 12/30/2010 8:43:01 AM PST by J40000
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To: SeekAndFind
I have to say: GOOD on you President Obama.
I think this may be the first time he has stood up to someone that is not an avowed friend of the USA.
29 posted on 12/30/2010 9:02:12 AM PST by Tupelo
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To: Thermalseeker
Doubtful. More likely there is something bigger in play here that we're not privy to. Watch and see.....

You mean like Russia's recent commitment to help Venezuela develop nuclear power?

And by the way which enemy of America is supplying Venezuela with missiles capable of reaching our southern-most states? I think that was IRAN, who also has an un-holy alliance with Russia, along with Venezuela.

So now that we have this new triangle of terror that some shlub like me was able to identify from his computer terminal using nothing more than a few google searches to connect those dots, when will the State Department get smart and order the Russian's to abandon their embassy here in the U.S. too?

I think a poster above got it exactly right when he made the statement referring to one socialist ax'ing another to get ahead (or something like that....)

30 posted on 12/30/2010 9:07:39 AM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: EternalVigilance
Some of the nastiest fights in history have been between competing socialist factions.

DING! Winner!!!

31 posted on 12/30/2010 9:08:26 AM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: Tupelo
I have to say: GOOD on you President Obama. I think this may be the first time he has stood up to someone that is not an avowed friend of the USA.

It's called eliminating one's competition. Obama did it for his own nefarious purposes. Just keep watching, he'll out himself soon enough.

32 posted on 12/30/2010 9:09:48 AM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: SeekAndFind

Call me when Zero stops the Iranian missiles from reaching Venezuela.

Unitl then, this is just kabuki theater performed by fellow travelers.


33 posted on 12/30/2010 9:11:47 AM PST by exit82 (Democrats are the enemy of freedom. Sarah Palin is our Esther.)
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To: raybbr

RE: I would like to see the internal documents from State on this.


Where is Julian Assange when you need him ? :)


34 posted on 12/30/2010 9:40:50 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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It is not true, as the story suggests, that the expulsion leaves the nations “without representation” in the others’ capitals. The US Embassy remains in Caracas and the Venezualan Embassy remains in Washington. In both cases the embassies will be led by the second highest ranking official, who assumes the diplomatic title “charge d’affaires.”
35 posted on 12/30/2010 9:46:55 AM PST by Godwin1
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