Powell Regrets 1973 U.S. Actions in Chile

AAP via Yahoo News ^ | 4/16/02 | George Gedda

[BenLurkin]

"Powell Regrets 1973 U.S. Actions in Chile"

Yeah, well I don't.

[BenLurkin]

'Rogers said the Chilean military acted not because the United States urged it to do so, "but because they believed that had the Allende regime continued much longer, Chilean liberties would be irretrievably lost." '

Exactly. That's what Communists (and that is what Allende was) do. They take power however they can, and they hold it however they can.

[Lancey Howard]

Very interesting.
Wasn't Allende the communist puppet of the USSR?

[Texas_Dawg]

"The U.S. government carried out a clear effort to undermine and destabilize Allende's ability to govern, creating the climate necessary for a coup to take place," Kornbluh said. Riiiiight... Because Allende wasn't a Communist working with the Soviet Union who had killed many dissidents in his own right. Whatever. The day the Radical Left shows even a fraction of the wrath for Castro (who has killed tens of thousands more than Pinochet did) as they do for Pinochet (who willingly stepped down and left South America's most stable economy over the subsequent 2 decades)... well, that's when I'll start to take these Pinochet rants somewhat seriously. Too bad that Colin Powell has felt the need to appease this crowd again.

[AlaskaErik]

Hey, it got the commies out.

[Black Agnes]

Don't cry for me Chile ping.

[Rome2000]

Toppling Communists is God's work and nothing to be ashamed of.

[rellimpank]

--more evidence that Powell is an incompetent affirmative action figurehead--

[El Cid]

"It is not a part of American history that we're proud of,"...

IF the US was involved in slapping down Allende then I'd consider this a very proud moment in American history. Allende was in the process of turning Chile into a Marxist 'paradise' (i.e., 'hell-hole'). Good for General Pinochet - and 'whoever' helped him.
Just look at Chile today as compared to the rest of the basket-case countries in South America. Chile is the only country not treading in quicksand.

[Lancey Howard]

Peter Kornbluh, a student of Latin American issues, whose book, "The Pinochet File," will be released in September, disputed Rogers' account. "The U.S. government carried out a clear effort to undermine and destabilize Allende's ability to govern, creating the climate necessary for a coup to take place," Kornbluh said.

Sounds like a good plan.
By the way, what exactly is a "student of Latin American issues"? Does this mean the guy read a lot of books and newspapers about South America? Maybe interviewed a few people to pump up his credentials? I wonder if he thinks the communist regime of Allende would have been preferable to the military regime of Pinochet? One would have been allied with the Soviets and the other with the United States.

[rellimpank]

--an oft-ignored fact is that General Pinochet received a larger percentage of the vote when he lost and left office than Allende had obtained in winning--

[faithincowboys]

Powell's instinct to apologize for this country makes him a better fit for the Clinton administrations. We need a tough pro who knows our history and will joust with the arrogant leftists. Colin is not the guy for where we are in our history.

[Ironword]

Rogers was concerned that Powell's comment was reinforcing what he called "the legend" that the Chile coup was a creation of a Kissinger-led cabal working in league with Chilean military officers opposed to Allende.

Christopher Hitchens: Please pick up the white courtesy phone.

[Cacique]

Pinochet prevented the rise of a bunch of little Fidels throughout Latin America. As did the argentine military, they did what the united states could not do, in waging a dirty war with no rules.

The great myth is that the united states organized and instigated the coups. The united states did not have to. The prevailing conditions much as they are in venezuela today do not need outside instigation to identify a potential socialist tyrant.

[Black Agnes]

What do you think will become of Brazil and Venezuela?

[William McKinley]

I don't either. Pinochet was no angel, but he was better than what he replaced.

[Rome2000]

Colin is not the guy for where we are in our history.

His role as Secretary of State is to be diplomatic.

He could very well be the GOP nominee in 2008

I agree that he needs to be tougher, but he did toe the line on the war in the end and deserves the benefit of the doubt.

[Black Agnes]

And being diplomatic he should have just said nothing at all.

[Just mythoughts]

Agree, so the next question in light of Mr. Powell's answer, "what does he know and when did he know it"?