The plundered pensions Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Crossposted
Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your posts included in the next Carnival please email me: faustaw2 "at" gmail "dot" com.

The week's big story: As the country is about to default again on its debt, Argentina’s leftist President Cristina Kirchner signed a proposal nationalizing the country’s private pension funds in what could be seen as a grab for cash and power amid the global economic crisis. Read more about it in the section for Argentina below.

LATIN AMERICA
The Hezbollah-Latin American Ties Become More Evident, also at Counterterrorism blog

ARGENTINA
Argentina Allows Pension Funds to Resume Trading

Juan Forero summarizes the suitcase trial in Miami, which is now gone to the jury: Court Case in Miami Casts Light on Corruption in Venezuela

If it feels good, do it!

Cristina's looking-glass world: A plan to nationalise private-pension funds looks like a cunning but short-sighted government effort to stave off another debt default

Asco de gente

BOLIVIA
While the US cuts off trade benefits with Bolivia because of cocaine, Evo Morales goes for nose surgery:
U.S. Cuts Off Trade Benefits to Bolivia Over Drugs

Via Lucianne, Bolivia's president to undergo nasal surgery

BRAZIL
Licensed to scribble: An end to journalism’s closed shop?

Brazilians vote in key city polls

CHILE
Consumer groups call on FDA to test Chilean salmon

COLOMBIA
Suspected Hezbollah Operatives Nabbed in South America, Congress Should Approve FTA

Huge cocaine bust in Colombia

Colombian army frees Farc hostage but he says he escaped with his guard: Farc hostage escapes with guard

Via IBD Blog, For every hectare of coca planted, 3 to 4 hectares of forest are actually cut down: POINT OF VIEW/ Francisco Santos Calderon: Colombia battling cocaine, preserving nature

Colombia's indigenous protest against Uribe

Small explosions wound 18 in Colombian capital

CUBA
Surprise! Cuban DGI helped Ayers and the Weather Underground

Hirám González Torna, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 10/26/08

ECUADOR
Vicious attack turns couple’s dream trip to nightmare: Oregon man critical but stable after being stabbed on Ecuadorian beach

Iran's Financial Scams: Ecuadorean Fiscal Astroturffing for Criminals

HAITI
Read about Fusion Technology's dealings in Haiti: Democrats for Despotism Party figures had a profitable relationship with Haiti's dictator. Video at the article.

JAMAICA
Illegal immigration, and Jamaican ganja for Haitian guns: Haiti and Jamaica's deadly trade

MEXICO
Declining conspicuous consumption for drug thugs

Mexican Senate Passes Energy Reform

PERU
Return of Peru's Shining Path as terror movement kills 19 soldiers

Jaime Bayly, in Spanish, talking about South Park’s Andean bands


PUERTO RICO
Via Jeremayakovka, The Republican Party of Pennsylvania and PA's Secretary of State are trading barbs over voter registration.

Nearly 1,000 pounds of coke seized in Puerto Rico

After the San Juan Star's closing, the government will be subsidizing a new English-language daily: English-language daily to debut in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - A group of journalists in Puerto Rico said Tuesday they are ready to launch the island's first cooperative-style newspaper this week with a $1 million boost from the government.

The new English-language tabloid would replace the Pulitzer Prize-winning San Juan Star, a nearly 50-year-old daily that closed two months ago amid declining revenues and disputes between the publisher and union over layoffs and benefit cuts.

Roughly 15,000 copies of the Puerto Rico Daily Sun will be printed on Wednesday and about 2,000 subscribers have already signed up, editor Rafael Matos told a news conference in the U.S. island's capital, San Juan.

The Puerto Rican Department of Labor and Human Resources will contribute $1 million to help cover salaries and benefits. Half that amount will be available under a local law that provides incentives to companies that create new jobs, Secretary Roman Velasco said.

Matos said the paper's objectivity would not be compromised by the government help.
"We are subject to the strictest of journalistic canons," Matos said. "This is not an investment from the government - it is a contribution."

Matos said 90 former Star employees agreed to buy a minimum of $200 in shares of the United Press Cooperative to help start the paper/

VENEZUELA
Via Grouchy Old Cripple, Chavez raises whisky prices


Via Venezuela News and Views, Sacrificios bolivarianos

U.S. Treasury Designation Targets Iran's WMD Financing, Alliance With Venezuela

News from Europe: thumbs down on Chavez

Chavez' folly: He owns and controls everything, but they don't work. It can only get worse

A letter to Sean Penn

AMERICAN POLITICS
"I was born in Colombia, but I was made in the USA"

The more things change: The neighbours’ tepid enthusiasm for Barack Obama

The Conservative Rebellion

Would There Be Change in Obama's Americas Policy?

More news on Latin America at Wall Street Journal en español and HACER

THIS WEEK’S POSTS AND PODCASTS
Chavez wants to jail rival Rosales
A suitcase full of money from Hugo to Cristina
OPEC cuts production, prices fall, Hugo sweats some more
Colombia smashes drug ring with Hezbollah ties
Argentina: Let’s plunder the pensions!
Sean Penn goes to Caracas



Special thanks to Eneas, Larwyn, Maggie and Maria.


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The second Monday in October Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Crossposted

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your links included, please email me: faustaw2 "at" gmail "dot" com.

This week's top story:
Two seeminly unrelated Venezuelan news stories,
First, Student opposition leader gunned down in Venezuela

Venezuelan authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a student leader who helped organize protests against constitutional amendments proposed by President Hugo Chavez.

Julio Soto, a student leader at the University of Zulia, was killed Wednesday by unidentified gunmen in the western city of Maracaibo.

Local Police Chief Jose Gonzalez said he believes Soto was specifically targeted because the assailants sprayed his vehicle with gunfire and then fled without taking anything.

But Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami said federal authorities have not yet determined if the killing was a politically motivated hit.

Soto was a member of the Copei opposition party. Voters rejected Chavez's proposed reforms in December.

Hugo Chávez has ordered authorities to quickly solve the murder

Education Minister Hector Navarro told Venezuela's state news agency on Thursday that Chávez wants police to catch those who killed Julio Soto ``as soon as possible.''

In the second item, former Defense Minister Gen. Raúl Baduel, who was instrumental in defeating Chávez constitutional reforms last December, was detained by the authorities on Friday and is now barred from leaving the country:

Rafael Tosta, a lawyer for Mr. Baduel, who was released Friday night, said his client was also required to appear before a military tribunal every 15 days and was prohibited from publicly commenting on the accusations, which revolve around $14.5 million in missing funds.

Mr. Baduel, who helped reinstall Mr. Chávez after a brief coup in 2002, has gone from being a hero of the president’s socialist-inspired revolution to one of its outcasts. Mr. Baduel emerged as one of Mr. Chávez most vocal opponents since resigning as defense minister last year.

Here's the video of his arrest:



Baduel has been charged with robbery:

Military Attorney, Gen. Ernesto Cedeno, said the former minister has been charged with alleged robbery of National Armed Forces funds and properties during his term of over four years at the helm of the military institution.

In a press conference, Cedeno said the decision was taken in the wake of an investigation stemming from an accusation rather than from political reprisal, as stated by Baduel, who assumed opposition stances after his retirement.

"According to the investigation, there are over $31 billion bolivars missing (about $14.50 million), and out of a sense of justice and honor, he oughts to clear up the situation during his term as Defense minister," stressed Cedeno.

Baduel was recently shot at while driving his car but managed to get away.

Does this signal a new crackdown on the Venezuelan opposition? Stratfor sees it at attempts to destabilize the opposition:

A few months ago, the loosely organized and previously unpopular opposition parties began making major gains in public opinion as Venezuela’s economy began souring and Chavez’s socialist policies came under fire. With this in mind, Chavez has gone so far as to have the courts ban 272 opposition politicians from running for office, charging them with corruption.

Chavez has also moved to strengthen the central government ahead of the elections, including implementing a series of reforms rejected in the 2006 constitution vote. Most recently, Chavez — with the help of the National Assembly — enacted the Organic Law for the Organization and Management of the Territory, which gives the central government control over local and state-level governments. In doing so, Chavez effectively negates any gains the opposition leaders might achieve if they are able to score seats in the upcoming election.

LATIN AMERICA
Why Did the Chicken Cross Party Lines?

Latin American Economies: Keeping their fingers crossed

Cómo validar nuestra educación en Los Estados Unidos

Hard economic times may just be starting

World War III knocking at our door

ARGENTINA
Las maletas contenian 6 millones de dolares

BOLIVIA
Young Bolivians fight for their regions

The oppositions criticisms of Bolivia's draft CPE

COLOMBIA
Colombia, U.S. Ally, May Conclude Defense Agreement With Russia

CUBA
Proposed Russian-Cuba-Venezuela Space Cooperation Raises Many Questions

A billboard for shelter

Cuba, FARC may be training guerrillas at Venezuelan camp
Cuban advisors and Colombian rebels are helping train paramilitary fighters, critics and former participants say

Going to hell on a financial handbasketcase: Fidel asesora creación de un nuevo sistema financiero, liderado por Venezuela e Irán Fidel's an advisor on a new financial system led by Venezuela and Iran (whom, by the way, years ago joined forces to undermine the US dollar)

ECUADOR
Nature as a Privileged Minority

US Problems Spread to Ecuador's Dollar Economy

Ecuador’s new constitution: In good faith

USA Backs Russo-Iranian-Soros Cartels running Venezuela and Ecuador; Abandons Honorable Uribe: Throwing Colombia to the Wolves of Deceit

HONDURAS
Protestan contra Ortega a su llegada a Honduras y él se escondió

MEXICO
North America Must Integrate for Trade, Calderon Says

9 bodies found dumped in Mexico

NICARAGUA
Just to make you chuckle a little bit about Nicaragua

Ortega targeting his ex-comrades
With a weakened right-of-center opposition, Nicaragua's president cracked down on former comrades on the left.

PUERTO RICO
Pork and rum? Rum Tax Break Report False, Says Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

There is confusion over a provision in the current financial rescue package which benefits the rum-producing territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. This is not a tax break for rum makers as has been reported in the press and claimed on Capitol Hill.

It is fundamentally a revenue sharing arrangement between the U.S. government and the governments of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which Congress has voted to extend repeatedly over the last 20 years. Under this provision, the federal government rebates to the governments of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands most of the Federal Excise Tax collected on rum imported to the United States.

VENEZUELA
Democrats Shouldn't Coddle Chávez
The prospect of a nuclear Venezuela should be enough to unite allegiances in Washington.

Liberal fascism in Venezuela

Caracas, murder capital of the world

Student opposition leader gunned down in Venezuela

Via IBD blog, Venezuelan town ruled by Colombian guerrillas

Venezuela, France mull nuclear energy deal As IBD blog commented,

Well, why not? /s The U.S. is sending loud signals it doesn't care about Russian nuclear proliferation in the Caribbean, so the French are taking the cue that this is a 'for sale' sign. Or maybe something more negative is going on. France also says it wants Hugo Chavez, that glorious mediator to FARC (who was found to have used FARC contacts not to mediate but funnel cash and arms to the terrorists) now will mediate between the West and Iran. Wonder what he will funnel now? This is insane. Do the French never learn?

The South American nuclear genie

Venezolano con carné: the latest on the "valija gate"

How quickly does Hugo Chavez forget his fake beliefs in democracy or Venezuela, a democracy no more!

AMERICAN POLITICS
Via LGF Linkviewer, William Ayers and Hugo Chavez

Campaigns woo new Hispanic citizens as key bloc

Special thanks to Eneas, GoV, Maggie, Maria and Siggy


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Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on Spanish

Via Babalu:
First Obama said immigrants should learn English:

Transcript:

"We'll have to finally bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadoes. It is time we did that. Now, let's acknowledge, yes, they broke the law. They should have to pay a fine, they should have to learn English, they should go to the back of the line, they should not get citizenship ahead of those who have been waiting patiently, but we also have to put them on a pathway to citizenship."

Then he changed his mind:

Transcript:

You know, I don't understand when people are going around worrying about, "We need to have English - only." They want to pass a law, "We want English-only."

Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English -- they'll learn English -- you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about, how can your child become bilingual? We should have every child speaking more than one language.

You know, it's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say [is], "Merci beaucoup." Right?

Via Memeorandum, American Voters Reject Obama's call for Bilingualism:

A national telephone survey conducted last month by Rasmussen Reports found that U.S. voters overwhelmingly disagree with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. (see video)

Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language. Just 13% take the opposite view and say it is more important for Americans to learn other languages.

In his comments, Obama emphasized the economic benefits of learning a second language: "If you have a foreign language, that is a powerful tool to get a job." Data suggests that most voters see the issue in a broader context.

A separate survey found that one factor fueling the anger over immigration is the belief that most government officials encourage immigrants to retain the culture of their home country. This helps explain why voters who are angry about immigration are primarily angry at the government, not immigrants. Among those angry about immigration, 59% believe most government officials encourage immigrants to retain their home country culture.

Last fall, a Rasmussen Reports survey found that 77% of Americans believed that employers should be allowed to require employees to speak English while on the job. With the Supreme Court recently upholding tougher standards for voter identification at the polls, 65% of voters now believe election ballots should only be printed in English. Thirty-two percent (32%) say they should be printed in both English and Spanish.

The importance of assimilation into the culture is highlighted in another recent survey: 54% of voters say it is more important to encourage all immigrants to embrace American culture than it is to reduce the number of immigrants. Just 36% take the opposite view and say reducing immigration is a higher priority. That survey, as with many others, also found a strong preference for ballots and other government documents to be printed in English only.

Even when bilingualism is not assimilation, the fact is that you can not assimilate into a culture without a good working knowledge of its language. All immigrants should learn English, and to learn English, you have to be taught.

In a lighter vein, A different look at the race

Prior post: Bilingualism and Obama.



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Tell us what you really feel, Jesse...

Drudge:

Jackson Statement: For any harm or hurt that this hot mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize. My support for Senator Obama_s campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal. I cherish this redemptive and historical moment.

_My appeal was for the moral content of his message to not only deal with the personal and moral responsibility of black males, but to deal with the collective moral responsibility of government and the public policy which would be a corrective action for the lack of good choices that often led to their irresponsibility.

_That was the context of my private conversation and it does not reflect any disparagement on my part for the historic event in which we are involved or my pride in Senator Barack Obama, who is leading it, whom I have supported by crisscrossing this nation in every level of media and audience from the beginning in absolute terms

Via Macsmind, O'Relly has the video of what Jackson said:

Cut-tm
by luvnews

Now call me a cynic, but with the amount of media experience Jackson has, you would think that by now he'd know better than to expect the microphones were turned off.



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Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on FISA

"Today, Barack Obama is going to vote for the FISA bill he swore to filibuster when he needed the support of the far left.

The Senate is finally expected to wrap up the bill updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act today, which includes the controversial provision of retroactive immunity for telecom companies facing lawsuit. While the bill splits Democrats, it's expected to pass with united Republican support.

Obama will be back for today's vote and has said he'll support final passage."

More at LGF.

Change? You betcha!

UPDATE
FISA Reform Passes; Obama Votes "Yes," Breaking His Promise



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Bilingualism and Obama

Obama was saying,

You know, I don't understand when people are going around worrying about, "We need to have English - only." They want to pass a law, "We want English-only."

Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English -- they'll learn English -- you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about, how can your child become bilingual? We should have every child speaking more than one language.

You know, it's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say [is], "Merci beaucoup." Right?

You know, no, I'm serious about this. We should understand that our young people, if you have a foreign language, that is a powerful tool to get ajob. You are so much more employable. You can be part of international business. So we should be emphasizing foreign languages in our schools from an early age, because children will actually learn a foreign language easier when they're 5, or 6, or 7 than when they're 46, like me.

Obama does pronounce Spanish very clearly when he does his political ads. He also does it for a political purpose. His thought that Americans should make their children bilingual in Spanish panders to "Hispanics" who are not interested in assimilating, but makes no sense vis-a-vis the argument that doing so would keep Americans from embarrassment when traveling in Europe: only a small number of Europeans speak Castillian (including, increasingly, non-Castillians born and raised in Spain). May I remind Obama that what we call Spanish in the USA is Castillian in Spain?

Andrew Leonard thinks that

There's nothing particularly exceptional about Obama's position, unless you are an English-only partisan cowering in fear of your cultural identity being swamped by funny-looking people from strange lands. Or one of the similarly insecure patriots who believe any criticism of the U.S. is a sign of "blame-America-first" treachery. And I suppose the whole comment about "going to Europe" opens Obama up to more charges of elitism, and disconnection from the lives of those who, right now, can't afford to even think about going to Europe.

Leonard clearly ignored people like myself, who are fully bilingual in Spanish, and who also can read French and a little Portuguese. Some of us are "Hispanic" (which, as I've said before is a term I use for expediency), many of us are not. I have met thousands of Americans born and raised in the USA who are multilingual.

People like myself are not "cowering in fear of your cultural identity being swamped by funny-looking people from strange lands." For starters, even when we come from "strange lands", we are not "funny-looking people". Indeed, people like me are fully integrated Americans and look like everyone else, i.e., unfunny.

What we fear is not that our "cultural identity" may or may not be "swamped", because we are secure in our cultural identity; What we worry about is that new immigrants (documented or not) who hadn't had a quality education in their countries of origin would deny themselves the opportunities our great country offers by not wanting to learn English and limit themselves to regions of the country where only their native tongue is spoken. The best paid professions in the world rely on English as their common language. India has become a dynamic economy because English-speaking jobs get outsourced to India. People how aren't willing to learn English (and I mean standard, proper, grammatically correct English) are sentencing themselves to a lifetime of poorly-paid jobs and missed opportunities.

Additionally, every country with an official second language is permanently divided. While the teaching of foreign languages (in plural - considering China's ascendancy in the global scene, Mandarin comes in handy) should be compulsory in every school in our country, English is and should remain America's language. All the original documents that created this nation should be read in the original English to be fully understood.

Which brings me to Victor Davis Hanson: his experience mirrors mine when it comes to multi-lingual America,

I was watching Obama complain that we don't speak European languages while Europeans speak English fluently. Fair enough—though the vast size of the US, the presence of two oceans on our borders, the ubiquity of Spanish here, the knowledge of other languages by millions of Americans, both explain a lot, and belie the notion that we are all English-only speakers, while the multitude of nations in close proximity has historically made Europeans by necessity multi-lingual.

Hanson, a university professor, adds the educational angle:

But that said, Obama's previous idealization of minority-theme charter schools and the need for more "oppression studies" are precisely the sorts of therapeutic curricula that ensure Americans are not getting classical instruction in languages and literatures. We still await his visit to an inner-city school where he might lecture the student body and faculty that more Latin, French, math, and Shakespeare would do more to make students competitive in an increasingly tough, global job market than thousands of hours of oppression studies and victimization classes.

Obama is wrong in believing that "Immigrants will learn English" on their own well enough to meet the challenges of any well-paid profession. Immigrants need to learn the structure, grammar, syntax and pronunciation of proper English. I know this from my own personal experience. Additionally, when it comes to the instruction of foreign languages in schools, the more classroom hours you dedicate to "self-esteem" oriented or victimization studies, the fewer hours you'll have for rigorous academic curricula of any kind, foreign languages included.

And that's not the way to favorably impress the Europeans, or anyone. TigerHawk has more on that.



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McCain's new ad: "Love"

Hitting at the "hope and change" meme (script from The Page):

It was a time of uncertainty, hope and change. The "Summer Of Love." Half a world away, another kind of love - of country.
John McCain: Shot down. Bayoneted. Tortured. Offered early release, he said, "No." He’d sworn an oath.
Home, he turned to public service. His philosophy: before party, polls and self … America. A maverick, John McCain tackled campaign reform, military reform, spending reform. He took on presidents, partisans and popular opinion.
He believes our world is dangerous, our economy in shambles. John McCain doesn't always tell us what we "hope" to hear. Beautiful words cannot make our lives better.
But a man who has always put his country and her people before self, before politics can.
Don’t "hope" for a better life. Vote for one. McCain.

I don't agree that the economy is in shambles, for the mere reason that when I was majoring in economics in college a 5 or 6% unemployment rate was considered an idealized figure that "ain't gonna happen". According to the US Department of Labor the unemployment rate for June was 5.5%. We have a long way to go to get to the "shambles" stage.

But the ad is very good in addressing the issue of image vs. substance, pretty words vs. experience, Obama vs McCain. Those of us who are "up to here" with the ridiculous nostalgia for the Summer of Love will gladly see it deflated to what it really was: an empty roll in the hay by those who had responsibilities and no regard for anything other than themselves.

Ed phrases it a lot more elegantly:

This does more than just belittle the "hope" theme. It provokes an interesting contest between competing visions of the nation, of service, and of "love" and what it means. McCain’s ad draws battle lines between philos and eros and takes one last shot at a decade that produced the most self-referential and self-absorbed generation of Americans ever seen - the Baby Boomers.

The imagery and the text make clear that McCain believes in the classic values of sacrifice and honor, especially in service to the nation. That sacrifice extends to his political career, which he has risked for issues he felt important to the country. Nowhere has that been more true than on Iraq. While Barack Obama continues to waffle and hedge his bets on withdrawal, McCain staked his presidential campaign on victory — and proved himself right and Obama wrong on the surge and the stabilizing effect it has had on Iraq.

The ad not only is a contrast of the two visions held by the candidates, it carries a valuable moral lesson: that it's better to love something higher than our own selfish selves.

I like it.

crossposted



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Obama's slumlord friend, summarized

FACT CHECK: Obama, His Contributor Rezko, the Slum Landlord Business

Summary:Obama completed more than just five hours of legal work for Antoin "Tony" Rezko, his main contributor who also ran slum landord operations both inside and outside of Obama's Illinois state Senate district. And according to answers Obama's Presidential campaign submitted in response to a question posed by the Chicago Sun-Times, this legal work involved multiple entities tied to Rezko's tenement empire, not the one "church" Obama disingenuously cited during the debate.

That legal work occurred after Obama received $1,000 from Rezko during the winter of 1997, when residents of one of Rezko's slums located within Obama's state Senate district shivered without heat for five weeks during a cold Chicago winter. Obama also wrote letters on Rezko's behalf on his state Senate stationary after he received that donation. Although this is just a scratch on the surface of Obama's long and checkered history with Antoin "Tony" Rezko, it provides some insight into the 2005 real estate transaction involving Obama, Rezko and a mansion in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago.

Doug Ross puts it in pictures for our progressive friends

More, much more at Rezkorama.

Crossposted



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Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on Iraq, AGAIN

Change, and change again:

No sooner was the virtual ink dry on the latest flip-flop that we find another one:
Obama: Don't stay in Iraq over genocide. That was on July 20, 2007.
Fast-forward to Saturday, July 6, 2008: he said he has always reserved "the right to protect people from genocide." (via Allahpundit)

At this rate I'll have to add a coblogger to keep up with the Lazy Susan platform.

The new category: "Oh look, Obama changed his mind"
Oh look, Obama changed his mind... this time, Iraq
Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on abortion
Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on abortion, AGAIN

Change? You can believe in!

Crossposted



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Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on abortion, AGAIN

Bouncing from one side to the other faster than a tennis ball at Wimbledon... Leaping tall tales in a single bound... It's a bird! It's a plane! No - It's Barack Obama!

First he supported abortion:

Remember this is a guy who voted in the Illinois State Senate against the Induced Infant Liability Act which protected babies born alive after a "botched" abortion. A very similar law, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate. Even NARAL didn't oppose that bill. He defends that position by saying that he didn't think such a law was necessary despite the testimony in his own committee from delivery room nurses of aborted babies being left to die. He also in the Illinois legislature opposed a bill that would have instituted penalties against someone who transported a minor across state lines for an abortion.

Then on Thursday he changed his mind and said that mental distress” should not qualify as a justification for late-term abortions.

Now it's Sunday, so he's changed his mind again

Reporter: You said that mental distress shouldn't be a reason for late-term abortion?

Obama: "My only point is this -- historically I have been a strong believer in a women's right to choose with her doctor, her pastor and her family. And it is ..I have consistently been saying that you have to have a health exception on many significant restrictions or bans on abortions including late-term abortions.

In the past there has been some fear on the part of people who, not only people who are anti-abortion, but people who may be in the middle, that that means that if a woman just doesn't feel good then that is an exception. That's never been the case.

I don't think that is how it has been interpreted. My only point is that in an area like partial-birth abortion having a mental, having a health exception can be defined rigorously. It can be defined through physical health, It can be defined by serious clinical mental-health diseases. It is not just a matter of feeling blue. I don't think that's how pro-choice folks have interpreted it. I don't think that's how the courts have interpreted it and I think that's important to emphasize and understand."

Ann Althouse looks at all this switching about and asks

Incredible. That would be incredible even without the prior inconsistent statement.

Really. Does he think we are idiots?

Frank James of The Swamp thinks that it's because

[Obama] clearly needed to add one more thought to that statement. He did it today.

I for one can't wait for Obama to add yet one more thought, so I'm starting a whole category titled "Oh look, Obama changed his mind". Can we look forward for more?

Yes we can!

Crossposted



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Oh look, Obama changed his mind... on abortion

No sooner did Obama changed his mind about Iraq, that now he's changed his mind about abortion:

The AP reports: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says “mental distress” should not qualify as a justification for late-term abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights. How dare he try to control a woman's womb!

Oops! Gosh, a rabid feminista took control of the keyboard for a few seconds. Seriously, tho, why does Barack Obama view as "wrong" a woman having a late-term abortion for so-called "mental distress" when he doesn't even believe that a baby that survives a late-term abortion should be legally defined as a "person" who would be "accorded immediate protection under the law," and also believes that such laws would be "one more burden on women"?

It's getting so that even the NYT's starting to notice the flip-flops. As Ed says, The New York Times editorial board went to bed with a virgin and woke up with a... well, a pro.

Charles Krauthammer refers to Obama as A Man of Seasonal Principles:

Obama's seasonally adjusted principles are beginning to pile up: NAFTA, campaign finance reform, warrantless wiretaps, flag pins, gun control. What's left?

Now that Obama's started on Iraq and abortion, and he's thrown everyone and his grandma under the bus, that's a good question.

The Obama strategy is clear: say anything that will get him elected, obliterate any difference between him and McCain, and expect to cash in on Bush Derangement Syndrome. For the Obama believers, and possibly for the electorate at large,, the flip-flops just don't matter.

Ace is right on the money:

Yes, but so what? The Obama phenomenon is a cult of personality. His fanatical supporters are not voting for any particular set of policies; they're voting for the man, plain and simple, whatever his policies may have been or might one day evolve into.

It's all towards the greater good of Obamatopia after all.

Cross-posted here.



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Oh look, Obama changed his mind... this time, Iraq

Obama Makes Huge Flip-Flop on Iraq.

Yes indeed, but it doesn't stop there. He then flip-flopped again on the same issue. Ladies' Logic has the details: Whiplash!

Whiplash indeed. In 5 short hours Sen. Obama started to backtrack.
...
You have to love two distinct policy positions in one presser.

Even the London Times is saying that Obama's policy switches are giving the Left whiplash

I guess that's what he means by "change", as in, quick-change artist.



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"Hostage Rescue Is Happy Coincidence for McCain in Colombia"...

UPDATE
The Colombian hostage rescue video
... says Elizabeth Bumiller of the NYT. The title of that article implies that McCain's visit had been planned to coincide with the hostage rescue.

Like any other conspiracy theory, that one is easily rebuked. Commenter Pat Patterson, at my Pajamas Media article, deftly and with a good measure of sarcasm points out the obvious:

That's right the Colombian government spent months arranging the infiltration of its agents, getting the intel on the location of the fifteen hostages and then sat around twiddling their thumbs until Sen. McCain showed up for a photo op. But since there are no pictures of Ingrid Bettancourt or the Americans holding flowers and shaking hands with the senator from Arizona then the whole plot seems like a terrible waste of energy. Maybe it was a conspiracy by FTD and not the CIA?

Moe Lane expands,

If you're wondering why a big counter-terrorism strike just happened to take place during Senator John McCain's visit to the region*, stop wondering: it was a no doubt deliberate decision on Colombia's part. Note that while they briefed the American delegation prior to the event, the actual operation took place while McCain was en route to Mexico. President Uribe wants good relations between Colombia and the USA, but he also wants to establish a certain separation. Bringing off a major counter-terrorism operation during, but independently of, a working visit by three US Senators should fit the bill.

Aside from the silly title, Bumiller's article makes a good point:

The timing of the rescue, which occurred while Mr. McCain was in Colombia, was in many ways a fortuitous turn of events for a presidential candidate who is using a three-day trip to South America and Mexico to try to show that he is a more agile foreign policy hand than his Democratic competitor, Senator Barack Obama. Although the timing of the rescue was a coincidence and Mr. McCain’s trip to Colombia had nothing to do with it, the event nonetheless put him in the middle of classified talks about covert operations with the head of another government.

What is no coincidence is that McCain's foreign policy experience outshines that of his rival. McCain's statement on the rescue highlights the importance of the operation while still reminding us of the hundreds of remaining hostages:

McCain, who was in Colombia Tuesday and Wednesday, said that President Alvaro Uribe and the Colombian defense minister had told him of the rescue plans.

"I'm pleased with the success of this very high-risk operation," McCain said in a release. "Sometimes in the past, the FARC has killed the hostages rather than let them be rescued. So I congratulate President Uribe, the military and the nation of Colombia. It is great news. Now we must renew our efforts to free all of the other innocent people held hostage. With regard to the three Americans and Ingrid Betancourt — they had been held many years, as many as six years."

Additionally, McCain supports the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat congress has been blocking.

The clear winners in this operation are Alvaro Uribe, all the hostages released, and the people of Colombia. The very big loser? Hugo Chavez. This hostage rescue has infinite repercussions in international politics.

Der Spiegel:

Indeed, it is Chavez who has been the big loser as a result of the positive developments in his neighboring country. With the fall of FARC, he has lost an important ally. His dream of a cross-border Bolivian revolution has failed, and at home he is fighting for his political survival.

There's a second loser in this drama: Nicolas Sarkozy. The French appeared to have been just as surprised as Chavez to hear about Betancourt's release on Wednesday. Paris had only just managed to establish fresh contact with the new FARC leader Alfonso Cano. Sarkozy had hoped that the French could score a coup by negotiating Betancourt's release and flying her directly to Paris. Colombian government officials had spoken reproachingly about what they often deemed to be politically motivated attempts at intervention on the part of the French.

Erik Svane notices that the French didn't take it gracefully: Frenchwoman: What Freed Ingrid Bétancourt Was Not President Uribe, But… "International Pressure" on President Uribe!, with "international pressure" meaning the French government, of course. They'd like to take credit for the release of one of their citizens, having failed at procuring the release itself.

The rescue itself was extraordinary: Counterterrorism blog calls it an Operation Right Out of Spy Thriller

This is a classic demonstration of how a country can use a mixture of law enforcement, intelligence, military, diplomatic and other mechanisms together, with a great deal of patience and tenacity, to achieve profound results against terrorism. It's an operation that needs to be studied, understood, to see what its lessons are for handling other hostage situations and other terrorist groups.

The political map has changed for South America. Let's hope the Dems in Congress get around to realizing that. For sure, the Dems claim that Pres. Bush has been ignoring Latin America flies in the face of this fact:

The US ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield, said there had been "close co-operation" from the Americans, including the sharing of intelligence, equipment and training advice.

This Ain't Hell has Betancourt's first press conference


Venezuela News and Views reacts to the press conference

Betancourt has now been reunited with her family. Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes are back home, too.

Others blogging on the rescue:
Gateway Pundit

Prairie Pundit

The New Editor

Poliblog

In Spanish ElTiempo's report

Much more at Memeorandum

Special thanks to Larwyn and Siggy.



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John McCain's JFK Opportunity

McCain is visiting Mexico and Colombia.

William McGurn, writing in the WSJ, calls it John McCain's JFK Opportunity:

If these words have more of a Republican ring to them, it's probably because it has been some time since any Democratic Party leader has offered such muscular language – especially with regard to trade and opportunity and American purpose. To the contrary, JFK would have a hard time reconciling his outward and optimistic vision with the crabbed protectionism the Democratic Party now stands for. And there's no better example than the way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to schedule a vote on a U.S. trade agreement with Colombia.

Even the critics have mostly given up arguing the economics of this agreement. Under legislation Congress has approved, most Colombian goods already enter the U.S. duty free. The same is not true for what we export to Colombia. So mostly what this agreement would do is level the playing field for American goods and send an important signal to the region that we know who our friends are.

This is an excellent opportunity for McCain,

The Colombia trade agreement plays to his strength as a leader, and it is consistent with his long record as a supporter of free trade. It also comports with his instincts on foreign policy. Mr. McCain appreciates that demagogues like Hugo Chávez are just itching for the chance to exploit a permanently stalled trade pact with their enemy Colombia. "See," they will tell the people of the region, "the Americans will never treat you as equals."

The choice is stark. Mr. Obama is on record as saying he would meet with Mr. Chavez – a declared enemy of the U.S. In sharp contrast, this week Mr. McCain will be standing with Mr. Uribe – a proven friend.

Related post: Bill Richardson, Hugo's latest friend



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Clark won't back down

Ben Smith: Clark won't back down: Retired general Wesley Clark says,

There are many important issues in this Presidential election, clearly one of the most important issues is national security and keeping the American people safe. In my opinion, protecting the American people is the most important duty of our next President. I have made comments in the past about John McCain's service and I want to reiterate them in order be crystal clear. As I have said before I honor John McCain's service as a prisoner of war and a Vietnam Veteran. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. I would never dishonor the service of someone who chose to wear the uniform for our nation.

John McCain is running his campaign on his experience and how his experience would benefit him and our nation as President. That experience shows courage and commitment to our country - but it doesn't include executive experience wrestling with national policy or go-to-war decisions. And in this area his judgment has been flawed - he not only supported going into a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq, but has time and again undervalued other, non-military elements of national power that must be used effectively to protect America. But as an American and former military officer I will not back down if I believe someone doesn't have sound judgment when it comes to our nation's most critical issues.

I guess this is what passes for logic in Clark's mind.

But what it comes down to is, "The poor democrats...still think John Kerry lost because his service to his country was attacked, rather than his disservice", as Orrin Judd put it and Ed Driscoll added.

So they are repeatedly attacking McCain on his Vietnam experience in order to put McCain on the defensive, and to put McCain's heroism and character on the same (low) level as Kerry's.

Clearly Obama has no national security experience, no command experience, no military experience (may I point out that McCain served in the Navy for 8 years after he was released by the Vietcong?), no diplomatic experience (even when he's willing to meet with our enemies without preconditions), and in his two measly years in the Senate has not been in the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Obama people have to come up with this stuff because they can not afford to have anyone compare Obama's resume to McCain's.

I was talking to Rick Moran yesterday afternoon, and this is one issue McCain can take on, and run with it: experience and national security. Once McCain explains to the American people how important our energy policy is and how it is pertinent to our national security and economic well-being, an issue McCain's experience and character well qualifies him for, he'll win the election.

It looks like McCain's taking that approach:

The important thing is that if that's the kind of campaign that Senator Obama and his surrogates and his supporters want to wage, I understand that, but it doesn't reduce the price of a gallon of gas by one penny. It doesn't achieve our energy independence, make it come any closer. It doesn't help an American stay in their home who are at risk of losing it today. And it certainly doesn't do anything to address the challenges that Americans have in keeping their jobs, their homes and supporting their families. So, I intend to, in this campaign, to discuss the challenges we face, ... and [the] many other proposals and ideas and a plan of action I have to help the families of this nation.

In the meantime, may Aravosis repeat his question. It'll only make the public realize what Obama supporters really are like.



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"Some on left" target McCain's war record

Some on left target McCain's war record

"A lot of people don't know ... that McCain made a propaganda video for the enemy while he was in captivity," wrote Americablog.com's John Aravosis. "Putting that bit of disloyalty aside, what exactly is McCain's military experience that prepares him for being commander in chief?"

"Getting shot down, tortured and then doing propaganda for the enemy is not command experience," Aravosis wrote in the blog post, titled "Honestly, besides being tortured, what did McCain do to excel in the military?"

HONESTLY, IS JOHN ARAVOSIS A PIECE OF EXCREMENT OR WHAT?

Yes he is.

But take a look at what Wesley Clark has to say:



How stupid is Wesley Clark?, asks Ed Morrissey:

In "the matter of national security policy making." Barack Obama hasn't ever done anything.
In the matter of gauging your "opponents", Obama wants to meet with them without preconditions despite having no national-security, military, or diplomatic experience.
Barack Obama hasn't been on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Barack Obama hasn't had any executive experience.
Barack Obama hasn't commanded anything, in wartime or not.
Barack Obama hasn't dealt with diplomats in any capacity at all.
Barack Obama hasn't ordered the bombs to fall, although to be fair, he has associated himself with someone who has — William Ayers.

Well, at least Aravosis and Clark aren't complaining about Obama's teeth.

Is this the "change" that everyone wants in Washington?

Good question.



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Obama's upcoming Indian idol, scheduled to arrive on July 4: an idol for the idol

In addition to the cult of Obama, Obama himself has been carrying a charm of the Hindu god Hanuman, so Hanuman devotees will be sending him a statue of the revered Indian monkey God, Hanuman:

The group decided to order the idol after they read a magazine report saying that Mr Obama carried a good luck 'monkey king' charm.

Seems that the Indians are hoping for change, and a miracle or two,

"Obama stands for change. We are hoping that he will bring about change so that oil and food prices come down," he said.

The Times of India reports that

Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified.

The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms.

The idol will be kept at the temple for 11 more days (starting from June 24, the date of the news item) and then sent to US, which means the idol is due to arrive on July 4.

I wonder what the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in the USA will have to say about this Obaman fondness for "good luck charms"...

(h/t Steve)



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Obama: Offshore drilling is "a gimmick"

While China, Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil do their outmost to drink our offshore milkshake, Obama's saying that offshore drilling is "a gimmick":

Obama, who wants to keep a moratorium on offshore drilling, will argue that McCain is offering a "gimmick" similar to the gas tax holiday proposal.
...
In Las Vegas this afternoon, Obama slammed McCain's energy proposals, arguing that they are "gimmicks" that may poll well but do not provide immediate relief. Obama said that he supports McCain's $300 million battery prize but that alone would not be enough.

In the same speech, Obama proposed a "stimulus package", "another round of rebate checks to the American people", and, the biggie:GREEN JOBS
Not gimmicks, no siree....

After all, green jobs may help bring down the price of arugula.

But hey, there's good news on energy policy coming from the Dems: Maxine Waters's spokeperson claims that she didn't really mean it when Waters talked about nationalizing the oil industry. As Betsy says,

At least we're still at the point that even someone like Waters has to pretend that she doesn't really want to socialize American industry.

One has to wonder what Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) has to say next. Here's what he was saying last week:

Link: sevenload.com

Meanwhile, the Brazilians oil exploration may mean that their recent discoveries may all be connected and form one big oil field. How's that for a gimmick, Obama?

While we wait for the senator to answer that question, let's ponder the No Zone again:

"You are here"

The family and I are in Miami visiting with family and friends, but here I am checking out Memeorandum when I came across Karl's post at Protein Wisdom on the Map of the Political Blogosphere.

Of course I check it out, and LOOK! http://faustasblog.com is it!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to take a screen shot, and post it.

Thanks, guys!

As neighbor (Princetonian and gallactic) Tiger Hawk, said,

Our influence is indeed vast, and we pledge to use our great power wisely.

Especially once the screen shot gets sorted out, of course.

The Baron took the screen shot:

Thank you Baron!

Don't miss today's podcast at 11AM. Jazz Shaw, Shane Burgess, Siggy and I will be talking about the sexual revolution, and Media Lizzy may also join in.

Chat's open at 10:45AM, and the call-in number is 646 652-2639. Join us!




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Someone Else's Alex

William Kristol in today's NYT:

I was having trouble putting my finder on just why until I came across a post by a mother of a soldier recently deployed in Iraq, at the Web site BlueStarChronicles.com.

Here's what the mother of an actual soldier has to say about the remarks of the mother of the prospective non-soldier in the ad:

"Does that mean that she wants other people's sons to keep the wolves at bay so that her son can live a life of complete narcissism? What is it she thinks happens in the world? ... Someone has to stand between our society and danger. If not my son, then who? If not little Alex then someone else will have to stand and deliver. Someone's son, somewhere."

Check out Blue Star Chronicles and make it a daily visit.

Prior post: "You can't have Alex!"



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