[JasonC]

The obvious point here is that Ecuador and Venezuela have been supporting the communist rebels and their terrorist war against Columbia, and they were afraid that stuff taken from this success would prove it. The bluster is meant to cover that fact and put Columbia on the defensive. It shouldn't. The US should offer to give Columbia 72 F-16s tomorrow, along with 200 M-1s and 300 Bradleys. That will put paid any idea Venezuela has of attacking directly.

[o_zarkman44]

Commie China will just send a bunch of their hardware to Chavez. And we will have an arms race in south America.
Chavez needs to be neutralized, not bartered with.

[SampleMan]

That will put paid any idea Venezuela has of attacking directly.

A US CVN off the coast of the border region, combined with a US vow to protect Columbia from a hostile aggressor would call Chavez's bluff.

[wtc911]

The US should offer to give Columbia 72 F-16s tomorrow, along with 200 M-1s and 300 Bradleys. That will put paid any idea Venezuela has of attacking directly.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Do you think we have 200 Main Battle Tanks and 300 Bradleys to spare?

Chavez knows that we can't provide any significant support of the materiel or the manpower sort in Colombia.

[walford]

“...Ecuador and Venezuela have been supporting the communist rebels and their terrorist war against Columbia, and they were afraid that stuff taken from this success would prove it. The bluster is meant to cover that fact and put Columbia on the defensive...”

I completely agree. The documents that the Colombian military found that link Ecuador’s government and the FARC were too embarrasing. And Chavez has long been openly calling for the drug cartel to forcibly take over Colombia. Both countries have been openly harboring these terrorists/kidnappers/drug-runners for years.

The Colombian ejercito should be able to handle this, but we should provide support as is prudent and needed. It truly is a tragedy how Castroism is spreading in South America.