Hugo and Jad, talking currency

Via Memeorandum, Hugo's back in Tehran visiting Ahmadinejad and discussing their scheme:

During the gathering, the two firebrand leaders echoed one another, blaming President Bush's policies for the decline of the dollar and its negative effect on other countries, and challenging Saudi Arabia's reluctance to mention weak dollar concerns in the summit's final declaration.

Ahmadinejad claimed OPEC's member countries want to convert their cash reserves into a currency other than the depreciating U.S. dollar, which he called a "worthless piece of paper."

Chavez said the dollar was in free-fall and that its "empire" must end, and proposed trading oil in a basket of currencies excluding the dollar.

But the two were unable to generate support from enough in the 13-member cartel — many of whom, including Saudi Arabia, are staunch U.S. allies.

You have to admit, that "basket of currencies" bit is just the sort of thing that any currency and commodities trader simply loves to hear.

As I posted on February 20, 2006 (you might have to go here and scroll down for the link), Al-Jazeera reported on February 2006 that Iran and Venezuela had joined forces to undermine the U.S. dollar.

The latest kerfuffle at the OPEC meeting was only the latest chapter in that story, now that Hugo's brought his Ecuatorian friend Correa back into OPEC. Expect lots more on this scheme.


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Iran is not your friend: Putin and Che's daughter get a taste of Iranian hospitality

SPECIAL PODCAST TONIGHT
Is Iran a proxy for Russia?
Putin finally made it to Tehran today after some hesitation due to an assasination threat.

The official word is

"Of course I am going to Iran," he said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "If I always listened to all the various threats and the recommendations of the special services I would never leave home."

The remark played into the carefully crafted image of a fearless leader that Putin has cultivated, and also appeared aimed at emphasizing that he is in control - not under undue influence from security officials - as he maneuvers to maintain influence after his presidential term ends next year.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini dismissed reports about the purported assassination plot as disinformation spread by adversaries hoping to spoil good relations between Russia and Iran.

While Russia's fearless leader (who is the first Russian leader to visit Iran since Stalin) and the Iranian spokesman want to put lipstick on that pig of a visit, it sounds to me like the intelligence services from both countries do not mutually trust each other well enough to have kept the purported threat from becoming public. The source for the news appears to have come from Putin's own staff:

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC that such reports were "very serious".

It's one thing when threats like that are revealed in open societies. It's another thing altogether when both countries involved are not.

Of course, Putin's fearlessness has a lot to do with that nuclear plant ("for peaceful purposes") Russia's building the Iranians, and with a heck of a lot of Caspian Sea oil that would allow Putin to tighten a stranglehold on the EU's fuel supply.

So far, the Iranians aren't paying Russia the bills on the power plant, but the Iranians still have much to gain,

Iranian media also emphasized the importance of Putin's trip. "Iran can use the visit to lobby for getting our nuclear dossier out of the U.N. Security Council and Russia can strengthen its opposition to the U.S. through boosting ties with Tehran," the hard-line newspaper Resalat said in an editorial.

Which brings me to the next story, by Amir Taheri at the NY Post, TEHRAN'S PRICE FOR 'SOLIDARITY'
MULLAHS SEEK USEFUL MARXIST IDIOTS

ANXIOUS to create what they call "a global progressive front," Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are sponsoring projects to underline "the ideological kinship of the left and revolutionary Islam."

The theme - hammered in by Ahmadinejad during his recent visit to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia - inspired a four-day seminar organized by his supporters at Tehran University last week (partly financed by Chavez).

This, of course, is part of the PR campaign against the USA, as was Ahmadinejad's visit to the three stooges last month. But it's a lot easier being the host and having the stooges come visit you:

The conference title was "Che Like Chamran," a play on words designed to emphasize "the common goals" of Marxism and Islamism. It honored Mostafa Chamran on the 26th anniversary of his death, which coincided with the 40th anniversary of the death of the Cuban-Argentine guerrilla icon Che Guevara.

Interestingly, Che and Chamran died at strategic points in their countries' histories, too:

Chamran was a Khomeinist militant of Iranian origin who became a U.S. citizen in the '60s before traveling to Lebanon, where he founded the Amal guerrilla group. He entered Iran in 1979 and helped the mullahs seize power. Appointed defense minister by Khomeini in '81, he died in a car crash a few months later.

The conference had three guests of honor: Mahdi Chamran, a brother of Mostafa and an Ahmadinejad associate, and Che's daughter Aleida and son Camilo.

Aleida, a pediatrician who lives in Havana, wore the mandatory Khomeinist hijab, while her brother had grown designer stubble to please the hosts. Also attending were an array of aging European and Latin American "Guevaristas" and Lebanese Hezbollah cadres.

Things were going along swimmingly until Aleida Guevara, who must have found time to travel to Tehran after trying to get Argentinian citizenship for her Cuban children, demanded the right to speak.

Oopsie.

Not only that, she publicly contradicted the keynote speaker, who claimed that Che was "a truly religious man who believed in God and hated communism and the Soviet Union."

Ha!

Demanding the right to respond, Aleida Guevara told the conference that Qassemi's claim might be based on a bad translation: "My father never mentioned God," she said as the hall sighed in chagrined disbelief. "He never met God."

The remarks caused a commotion amid which Aleida and her brother were whisked away, led into a car and driven to their hotel under escort.

But the poop didn't hit the fan until later in the evening, by the end of which both Aleida and her brother Camilo "had become nonpersons", in Taheri's words, and the Iranians had forgetten that Che was a Marxist.

I'm willing to bet Vlad's not hitting the mosques on this trip, but I am sure there'll be some discussion regarding that UN Security Council seat.

Related reading: Connecting Dots On The Axis Of Evil

Iran is already active in Syria, but it's also active much closer to home. Through small starter projects such as the manufacture of tractors and small-arms cooperatives, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has set up joint projects with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, who supports Iran's nuclear program and seeks one of his own.

Last month, Iran's leader announced a $1 billion investment in Bolivia for projects that could include Iranian mining for Bolivian uranium. Such cooperation may have political rather than economic purposes. The countries seek to disguise their aims just as the higher powers of the axis seek to deceive about theirs. It may not be a threat today, but it's certain to be a problem on the horizon tomorrow if the axis is not acknowledged.

We'll continue to keep an eye on these actors.
SPECIAL PODCAST TONIGHTIs Iran a proxy for Russia?
In tonight's special podcast, Siggy and I will discuss if Iran is a proxy for Russia.
We'll also have live chat during the podcast. Join us!




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Ahmadinejad goes to Bolivia and Venezuela; Spacey goes to Venezuela and Cuba

Continuing his triumphal grand tour, after leaving the US and being celebrated by fellational journalists and others, 'Jad went to Bolivia.

Ahmadinejad bolsters Iranian ties with Bolivia and Nicaragua. I have no idea why the IHT headline mentions Nicaragua and not Venezuela, but here's the text of the article (emphasis added):

On a trip to strengthen ties with leftists in Latin America and roll back U.S. influence, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has pledged to invest $1 billion in Bolivia and reaffirmed relations with the Venezuelan president with a declaration that "no one can defeat us."

Promises, promises.

'Jad and Evo go back a long time:


But the promises don't come for free:

The investment in Bolivia, to be made over the next five years, would help the country tap its vast natural gas reserves, extract minerals, generate more electricity and finance agricultural and construction projects.

After La Paz, 'Jad flew up to Caracas, where the love flowed:

Chavez greeted the Iranian leader warmly on a red carpet in front of the presidential palace, where they both stood before microphones and let loose with rhetoric challenging Washington.

The BBC states, "The Iranian and Venezuelan leaders see themselves as brothers, with similar political aims."

You know things are screwed up in Venezuela that pro-democracy students are asking Ahmadinejad to serve as intermediary with Chavez so Hugo will grant them the right to ask questions regarding Venezuelan-Iranian relations.
---------------------------------------------------------
In other Latin American celebrity travel news, Actor Kevin Spacey met with Chavez looking for oil money to produce movies, since Hugo Chavez Funds State-Run Film Studio and already gave Danny Glover a few million $$$.

I wonder if Hugo and Kevin were pondering another sequel to The Karate Kid, but maybe it was just a regular dinner-and-a-movie kind of date:

Neither Spacey _ who has won Academy Awards for roles in "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty" _ nor Chavez spoke to the press after the nearly three-hour encounter in the presidential palace in Caracas. They shook hands warmly on the red carpet as Spacey left after a dinner with Chavez.

We'll never know for sure.

The AP story claims that "Details were not released about the rest of Spacey's itinerary." Maybe the AP reporter should have spent some time watching Venezuela's government-controlled TV newscasts, because in this video (via Jeremayakovka) the reporter (in Spanish) says that after Caracas Kevin was heading to Cuba.

Chalk it up to Associated Press Deficit Disorder, because Kevin indeed went to Cuba after leaving Venezuela.

Marc Masferrer links to the article, El actor estadounidense Kevin Spacey se pasea de incógnito en Cuba (American Actor Kevin Spacey Travels Incognito Through Cuba).

Other recent visitors to Cuba listed in the article include Michael Moore, Benicio del Toro, Steven Soderberg, Sean Penn, Joseph and Ralph Fiennes, Gael García Bernal and Fernando Trueba.

I don't believe any of them asked about Martha Beatriz Roque, Elizardo Sanchez, or much anyone else who is not a celebrity.

Update: GM follows up.
---------------------------------------------------------
Update 2:
Totten's turn;


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The three stooges

The UN, Columbia, and the National Press Club

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got a really big send-off before his trip to NYC

In the parade, some of the trucks carrying Iranian missiles were painted with popular slogans: "Down with the U.S." and "Down with Israel."

Later today I'll be posting about the three stooges that will be entertaining 'Jad once he gets to the US.
As I mentioned Thursday, Iran is

intent on wiping Israel off the map,
financing Hezbolla,
arming Shiia terrorists in Iraq,
and swearing to develop nuclear weapons

For this, Ahmadinejad gets rewarded and feasted by the three stooges:
Curly/The UN,
Larry/Columbia University,
and Moe/the National Press Club.

Curly:
The UN invites him as a speaker. That is hardly surprising, since the UN has distinguished itself as a cesspool of tyrants. The UN is officially a platfrom from which tyrants can harange againt the USA. We have witnessed this time and time again.

Larry:
Columbia University, however, has shown it true colors. While the Minutemen and the ROTC are not allowed to speak, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the anti-Semite terrorost-in-chief, who believes in the Mahdi but not in the Holocaust, is featured Monday as part of its series entitled "World Leaders Forum". As The Oxford Medievalist explains,

Apparently, Columbia University feels they should provide Ahmadinejad with a forum to further air his prima facie absurd and hateful rhetoric, so long as he's willing to debate. I didn't know his rhetoric needed to be debated, let alone given yet another platform; I thought the conclusion was plainly known: Mahmoud is an apocalyptic madman Jew-hating president of a regime bent on spreading its Islamist revolution throughout the Middle East and, eventually, the world.

But you see, Columbia is so open-minded that they would "invite Hitler to engage in debate by Columbia's students and faculty."

Additionally, The Columbia Coalition Against the War doesn't want progressives to demonstrate against 'Jad because they are worried about publicity:

A rally where each speaker denounces Ahmadinejad's reactionary policies and just a few call explicitly for military action will still be perceived, on campus and around the U.S., as pro-war.

Mind you, the Coalition is echoing Iran's top diplomat in Argentina, who has said that criticizing Iran means supporting war against Iran (h/t Harry's Place).

The Coalition has not given one moment's thought to the fact that Ahmadinejad's entire trip is already being touted as a propaganda victory for the murderous Iranian regime.

Moe:
The National Press Club's innagurates its first-ever videoconference luncheon by having Ahmadinejad speaking and taking questions. Rest assured that 'Jad's replies will be spun and respun as propaganda soundbites all across the Islamic world.

Not that coddling tyrants is new at the NPC. Earlier this summer the National Press Club cancelled a "newsmaker" event on press freedom organized by Venezuelan students, at the request of the Venezuelan Embassy.

The bottom line on Ahmadinejad is, if he can demonstrate that he is treated abroad as a respected leader, he will be better able to counter his critics at home.

'Jad belongs in Gitmo.

And for the record, I like Ike.

In the meantime, Dr Sanity has The Carnival of the Insanities.


[Clarification and apology:
I am using the Stooges as a metaphor for clownish behavior. My apologies to the descendants of the Three Stooges - Larry Fine (Larry), Joe deRita (CurlyJoe), and the Howard brothers, Curly, Moe and Shemp - whose parents and grandparents have brought so much enjoyment togenerations of Americans and who supported the war effort during World War II.]



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Nilofar, Lars, Mahmoud, and immigration, all in the podcast

Siggy, Dymphna, Baron Bodissey and I discussed four different topics last Wednesday night:

I opened by mentioning Nilofar Bakhtiar, whose France2 interview aired right before the podcast started. Ms Bakhtiar went skydiving in France last April and has a fatwa on her head because she hugged her male skydiving instructor. Following the scandal, she offered to resign but the Pakistani Prime Minister refused her resignation.

During the France2 interview, Ms Bakhtiar calmly discussed that

In February a female provincial minister was shot dead by a man who, police said, did not think women should be in politics.

Mrs. Bakhtiar is unveiled, her daughter is unveiled, her two sons are proud of their mom, and her husband in firmly on her side.

They all live under 24-hr armed custody.

Mrs. Bakhtiar's situation illustrates "the two Pakistans", the way Ahmadinejad illustrates "the two Irans", so we went on to talk about Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to New York next week. I'm sure you won't be surprised that we all agree with Mitt Romney's position that the UN indict Ahmadinejad under the Genocide Convention.

The latest on 'Jad is that he won't be visiting Ground Zero but Columbia University said it does not plan to call off his upcoming speech. As Roger (who was not in the podcast) asks,

I have a question for the Columbia crowd, since Holocaust deniers are welcome, would you allow a speaker in favor of a return to black slavery?

Certainly Columbia can't be hosting 'Jad for his scholarship or for his legitimacy as a world leader.

'Jad update: The New York Times editorial board will host Ahmadinejad for lunch at the Four Seasons hotel on Monday.

Back to the podcast: From there we talked about how Lars Vilks's artwork earned him a fatwa, and a $100,000 bounty on his head, with an additional $50,000 if he's decapitated. Gates of Vienna has been following the story from the start, and the latest is that the chairman the Muslim Association of Sweden wants "a clear law to protect the Muslim minority in this country."

Siggy refers to Wednesday's as Podcast As Slugfest, because we got into the subject of the DREAM act. I am totally against providing in-state tuition breaks to illegal aliens if the dependents of the taxpayers of that state can not get the same in-state (lower) fees, but Siggy is equally adamant that we should educate them at tax payer expense - even when the taxpayers don't get the same break.

Yesterday I heard from the friend that I mentioned in my post. She was hoppin' mad, because, aside from being the taxpayer I mentioned in the podcast, the DREAM act
1. denies in-state tuition to legal aliens with student visas
and
2. repeals a 1966 Federal law that requires that states offer all US citizens in-state tuition if it's to provide it to illegals.

She was ready for a slugfest, but turned down my offer to come on the podcast to discuss it.

If this podcast was a slugest, I'd say it's a couth, gentle, slugfest, but you must listen and tell me, was it a slugfest?



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Take your wreath and shove it, Mahmoud

I did a roundup for Pajamas Media first thing this morning and then had to attend to other matters. (Yes, that You talking to me? was my idea.)

As I posted this morning at PJM, early this morning the story was,

On the same day that the Iranian air force commander announced that Iran has drawn plans to bomb Israel, NY Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly revealed that the Bloomberg administration was in discussions to escort Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Ground Zero. Mahmoud won't get there , but he will speak at Columbia University after addressing the UN on Monday.

The multi-culti Columbia U is dignifying a criminal, as Power Line explains,

Columbia and President Bollinger are a disgrace. They welcome to their campus a man who is a ringleader in the seizure of American hostages, a terrorist, the president of a terrorist regime, and the representative of a regime responsible at present for the deaths of American soldiers on the field of battle.

But that's not all; Imagine my surprise when I look again a few minutes ago and read,

UPDATE: The Iranian leader plans to go to Ground Zero on Monday at 10 AM with a Secret Service escort - over NYPD objections. (WABC-TV)

Ahmadinejad and the regime he represents hold the same radical, murderous philosophy that lead to the assasination of 3,000 on September 11, 2001. He will be laying a wreath for the murderous terrorists, not the victims.

I want to know, why are we even having this character touch American soil to begin with?

Because he's a head of state?

Well, then, if that is the reason, let's treat him like a head of state: Let's have Ahmadinejad indicted under the Genocide Convention, as Mitt Romney (pdf file) requested from the UN last Monday.

Iran is

intent on wiping Israel off the map,
financing Hezbolla,
arming Shiia terrorist in Iraq,
and swearing to develop nuclear weapons.

It doesn't take much more to recognize that we are at war with Iran.

I consistenly strive to keep a certain tone in this blog, but Michelle said it best,



Pamela has info on the rally.



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Sports, drugs, oil, and networks: all in Hugo's trip

UPDATED
While I was away on vacation Hugo's been touring, so it's time for the freshest news on Latin America's biggest tinpot tyrant:

Sports
Venezuelan Fans Embarrass Hugo... Chant "Freedom" at US Match. Let's go to the videotape:

Not Sitting Still For Dictatorship

Drugs
Venezuela Becomes Cocaine Conduit

Of 46 suspected drug flights detected in the Caribbean by U.S. surveillance in the first four months of 2007, all but six originated in Venezuela.
...
But as Mexico cracks down on land shipments, and authorities get better at high-seas interdiction - the helicopters in the May 12 bust came off a British ship in the area - Venezuela is increasingly providing an alternative, counter-drug officials say.

Most Europe-bound cocaine is believed to pass through Venezuela, sent aboard ships and jets - 727s, DC-8s and Gulfstreams - to west African nations where enforcement is often weak and easily bribed, Hathaway said at the command's headquarters in Key West, Fla.

Oil
Venezuela oil loss put at $4.5bn

The Chavez government is taking majority control of operations
US oil giant ConocoPhillips has said that a decision not to accept a minority stake in its operations in Venezuela may cost it $4.5bn.

The Economist: Exeunt Exxon and Conoco

Nevertheless, some Venezuelans worry that their country's oil industry is going the same way as that of Iran, whose government is one of Mr Chávez's closest allies. This week, as Venezuela's president was due to visit Tehran on a tour that also takes him to Russia and Belarus, Iran imposed petrol rationing. Admittedly, Iran faces sanctions, and Venezuela does not. But national sovereignty does not automatically fill the tank.

Investor's Business Daily focuses on how the markets took the news: Chavez's Anaconda Embrace

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has expropriated $4.5 billion in assets from two U.S. oil firms. It's an ugly loss, but they will live. What's in doubt is Venezuela's future.
...
Markets Wednesday offered a hint of what's ahead, with Exxon's stock ending 2% higher, leading the market upward on a down day, and Conoco ending flat.

Bear in mind that Exxon lost nearly a billion dollars in Venezuelan investments, and Conoco lost four times that much, amounting to 10% of its proved reserves.

Yet credit agency Standard & Poor's declared Conoco's rating undented by the move, and Exxon said it would "move forward," probably signalling a bid to recover some of the value of its assets in U.S. courts.

Suddenly, Venezuela's U.S. Citgo refining and marketing network has become a juicy target.

But Venezuela is another story. Its currency, the bolivar, and its sovereign bonds both plunged as Exxon and Conoco announced they're leaving.

Most Venezuela watchers saw a link. Standard & Poor's, for instance, downgraded the country's outlook, citing "a highly negative climate for investment, which results in virtually no foreign and private investment."

Venezuela has strict capital controls on its currency, so the bolivar trades only in the local black market. Its value to the dollar fell from 4,050 to 4,180 yesterday as dollar demand for capital flight rose, Bloomberg reported.

Even the "official" rate of 2,150 bolivars to the dollar signals ruinous inflation, likely well above the most recent inflation rate of 19%. A lack of dollars has emptied store shelves of imported goods, causing food prices to shoot up.

This is a bad sign for Venezuela. Markets basically shrug when two major investors leave, while brutally punishing Venezuela's government for its treatment of its U.S. investors. Chavez's regime is like one of the country's anaconda snakes, squeezing the very life out of Venezuela itself. Sadly, it's part of a long downward slide that shows no end.

Indeed, Venezuela's Citgoing Nowhere.

And yes, I have mentioned before that the Venezuelan economy collapsed a couple of decades ago when the oil prices dropped.

Hugo's network
Chavez in talks with Iranian ally

This was Hugo's third visit to Iran during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but he also visited old friends,

During his latest visit, which kicked off on Wednesday, Chavez met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko and urged a global revolution against Washington.

He has also discussed possible purchases of submarines and other defence equipment from Russia, arguing that these are needed to defend his oil-rich country against the United States.

Earlier this month Iran welcomed Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, a Cold War foe of the United States. Tehran has also boosted ties with other countries which have frosty ties with Washington, notably Belarus, whose president has been condemned by the European Union for rights violations.

More on the Iran visit:
Iran seeks stronger ties with Latin America
Hosseini says Iran, Venezuela to sign 20 agreements, MoUs
Chavez Prefers Russian Oil and Lenin

Both Venezuela and Russia have revisited contracts signed in the 1990s with major oil companies, and slapped back tax claims on private companies.

While we ponder that, read Austin Bay's post on Putin's anti-missile tantrum - expect to hear similar rumbles from Hugo sometime in the future. It would get him the attention he craves.

Publius Pundit's posts on Russian Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds has a whole photo gallery of Hugo's buddies. Start with this one:

Yup, that's Hugo Chavez and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov laughing and holding hands like lovers whilst they gaze upon a spectacle of Russian folk dancing as part of Chavez's state visit to Moscow.

Meanwhile, The Devil's Excrement posts that the Putin dominated Duma voted against receiving Chavez.

And then there's this
Via Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Middle East should look to Latin America: Tariq Ali

The Middle East lacks the social vision of Latin America which is currently undergoing a political revolution and successfully challenging American foreign policy, Tariq Ali told a sold-out audience at Sydney Ideas on Tuesday night.

Pointing to the success of Venezuela's leadership under the seven-times elected President Hugo Chávez, the London-based historian, political campaigner and prolific author said: "Solidarity outside Venezuela is as important as solidarity inside Venezuela."

According to the author of Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope (2006), a new level of unity lead by radical new leaders has had a "massive impact" on South America, and the region has broken down the isolationist policies driven by the United States through its ban on Cuba.

(For background on Tariq Ali, here's a transcript of his debate with Christopher Hitchens from December 4, 2003.)

Will Hugo outdo his own $1,000,000,000 shopping tour from last year?

We'll find out soon enough.

For now, he's not going to Mercosur, and is even saying Venezuela may withdraw its bid to join the Mercosur trade bloc due to objections from congressmen from Brazil and Uruguay.

Update
Gustavo Coronel writes in Petroleum World,

This situation in Venezuela could trigger other, even more dangerous developments. Hugo Chavez has been losing much ground lately, both inside and outside Venezuela. His “revolution” is doing badly at home and abroad, due to his numerous errors and his undemocratic style of ruling. In Spain, Chile and Brazil he has lost most of the goodwill he had been able to accumulate in the past. The Democratic Party leaders in the United States have recently supported a resolution condemning his aggressions against freedom of expression. He is aligning his regime, more and more, with failed states, such as Cuba, Iran, Belarus, Zimbabwe and Syria. Right now he is in Russia, trying to recruit Putin to form a global alliance against the United States. I consider that Hugo Chavez is, at this moment, one of the most dangerous political leaders in the planet. If he sees that his political situation becomes untenable he could well resort to a Plan "B".

What could this Plan "B" look like? It could consist of provoking a global political crisis by starting a violent, military action against a neighbor or against a U.S. aircraft or ship in the Caribbean area. This could be followed by a cut of oil supplies to the United States, which could be particularly dangerous if Iran decided to join him in a boycott against the U.S., while Russia sat on the fence in apparent neutrality and vetoed or delayed any action in the Security Council of the United Nations. I believe Hugo Chavez is determined to go down in history as someone who went well beyond the limits of his native state of Barinas and made a big impact in the world, and he no longer cares if this impact will be good or bad.

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Next stop, Caracas

After veiling herself with an Hermes scarf (which I immediately recognized), Nancy's probably selecting some nice red shirts and berets: she's going to visit Hugo, the self-declared Communist in charge of Venezuela.

American Spectator says that Nancy would not meet with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe,

"She has third parties who have encouraged her not to take the meeting,"

including MoveOn.org. Apparently their excuse is human rights.

To make matters worse,

Nancy Pelosi is not only having her staff make plans for a trip to Venezuela to meet there with dictator Hugo Chavez, she has also asked staff to apply for a visa to travel to Tehran.

Yes, Tehran, that paragon of human rights.

But then, we all know how fond Hugo is of his little friend:

I'm sure Nancy wants to keep them both happy.

Here's some fashion advice with a bilingual, multi-culti slant, Nancy: When in Tehran, tapate las lolas.

Update A scream in broad daylight

Update, Wednesday 2 May: The Red Hat Society
President Uribe's Popularity Soars After Snub By Gore

Of prawns and pawns

Yesterday around noon I was meeting a friend while trying to navigate the very noisy lobby of the Museum of Modern Art, which was packed to the gills with a very wet crowd of loud people on Easter Break who had ventured in the cold rain. The place felt like an airport the day before Thanksgiving, only with no departures, just arrivals.

My friend and I finally found each other and since the MoMA was mobbed with the crowd we decided to have lunch across the street at Gattopardo. We rushed out of the noisy MoMA across the noisy and rainy cold street, walked into the restaurant and were warmly greeted into a sanctuary of elegant quiet and excellent food.

I had a most excellent plate of prawns that must have come from Paradise. They were that good.

To make a long story short, I had a wonderful afternoon and was totally unaware of anything in the news until evening, when I was reading this post from Siggy (who's as fond of Bond as I am of Bryn). Siggy said,

Mahmoud Ahmadenijad's 'pardon' and release of those 15 British sailors and marines is no more a gesture of Iran's inherent 'goodness' than were Adolph Hitler's displays of affection for his dog - and it is important that we understand that.

Until then I had not heard that Mahmoud Ahmadenijad had been saying that he had pardoned the hostages.

Shortly after, the BBC newscast showed Tony Blair talking about "how much he respects the Iranians".

I couldn't believe my ears.

Yes, the hostages were not yet out of Iran, but for Blair to stoop down to praising a culture of shame with his respect was beyond belief. The same culture of shame who for two weeks publically paraded and humiliated IN COMPLETE DISREGARD OF GENEVA CONVENTIONS PROTOCOL fifteen members of the British forces.

Make no mistake, the hostages were political prisoners and as such were humiliated. For an explanation of this point, listen to the Sanity Squad, and listen to what Siggy had to say about the videos of the hostages.

By expressing his respect, Tony Blair, who apparently got gelded along the way, became a pawn.

Margaret Thatcher would have "pardoned" Ahmadenijad's grubby little butt into the ground from the get-go.

But we live in different times.

While we stand on the shoulders of giants like Thatcher and Reagan and are able to feast on prawns while we still can, undoubtedly because of the sacrifice of people like the hostages, the Democrats have ended the war on terror by banishing the term, because the

Democratic leadership doesn't like the phrase.

(h/t Alcibiades).

Mind you, I don't like the term either, and would definitely prefer to call it the war on Caliphate Islam. But that won't suit the Democrat mindset, whose delicate sensibilites has them doing anti-terror drills against Christians (during Lent, no less), just a few miles away from here. Because of course we don't want to upset Muslims

The real story is that it has become acceptable to discriminate against Christians with bigoted characterizations that portray them as gun wielding psycho killers. Such bigotry is a common occurrence in film, on TV and the internet, in schools and in city halls across America. Newspapers cover such stories with zest and a certain sense of shoulder shrugging normalcy.

Instead of the war on terror, we now have 'The War That Must Not Be Named'.

That way we can digest our prawns with ease. While my friend and I found temporary shelter from the daily grind at a lovely restaurant, the Dems are seeking permanent shelter from reality through a linguistic trick. This has become part and parcel of their grab for power.

The Dem's grab for power at any price includes having Nancy playing pretend at being Secretary of State, making new friends with our enemies, lying about our friends, and veiling herself with an Hermes scarf,

The Reform Party of Syria, which is not playing pretend because it can not afford to, explains what's really behind the veil:

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was seen roaming the streets of Damascus flaunting a Hijab. The Hijab worn by women across the Muslim world has come to symbolize either one of three things: 1) a symbol that men control women by forcing piety, or 2) a return to religiosity because of oppressive rulers, or 3) a fashion statement. If you ask any expert on the Middle East, you would get any one of three answers. The ones who usually claim it is a fashion statement are the political rulers who usually oppress people in general. A Hijab is NOT a confirmation of the rights of women in the Middle East but rather a symbol of their suppression.

At least Siggy was able to look at the bright side,

she could have been photograped wearing a Palestinian keffiyah.

Because a pawn is a pawn is a pawn no matter how expensive a scarf she wears.

Special thanks to Maria and Larwyn.
Update: Pratfall in Damascus
(Note To those who asked, my friend's a vegetarian - she had the spinach)

Technorati tags Nancy Pelosi

"Say 'ello to my leetle fren'", part 2

The caption says,

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, laugh with Bolivia's President Evo Morales holds his hand during the inauguration of Rafael Correa as new president of Ecuador in Quito, Monday, Jan. 15, 2007

Makes you want to sing,

"Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feelings again in my arms.
Feelings...",

doesn't it?

(thank you, M.)

Update, Sunday 21 January: Love, Look at the Two of Us

Prior posts 'Jad's junket
"Say 'ello to my leetle fren'"
Shall we dance?

'Jad's junket

As I mentioned Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on a tour of friendly South American countries. He started with Venezuela, where unfortunately he couldn't make it to Hugo's inaguration (and neither did any heads of state). While in Veneuzela, Jad and Hugo renewed their vows to undermine the USA, by starting an anti-USA fund

The two countries had previously revealed plans for a joint $2 billion fund to finance investments in Venezuela and Iran, but the leaders said Saturday the money would also be used for projects in friendly countries throughout the developing world.

"It will permit us to underpin investments ... above all in those countries whose governments are making efforts to liberate themselves from the (U.S.) imperialist yoke," Chavez said.

"This fund, my brother," the Venezuelan president said, referring affectionately to Ahmadinejad, "will become a mechanism for liberation."

"Death to U.S. imperialism!" he said.

Ahmadinejad, who is starting a tour of left-leaning countries in the region, called it a "very important" decision that would help promote "joint cooperation in third countries," especially in Latin America and Africa.

No word from Hugo about the kidnappings, but I digress.

Both Venezuela and Iran depend on foreign refineries for their oil.

After Venezuela, it was time to visit with Daniel Ortega in Managua. The lovefest went well:

The two countries announced that they were restoring full diplomatic relations and re-opening embassies in their capitals.

Gateway Pundit has more.

Jad did make it in time to Rafael Correa's inaguration

Before arriving in the Ecuadorean capital, Quito, Mr Ahmadinejad said both countries had common views and would talk about expanding ties.

Borrowing a page from Hugo, Correa's already saying,

he will call a referendum on a special assembly to rewrite the constitution so that the powers of the traditional parties are curbed.

Let's hope Rafael's not counting on 'Jad to clean the air
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Following up on another Venezuela story I've been following for a while, More illegal drugs entering Haiti by air from Venezuela

Update Elephants In Academia posts that Hugo Chavez to "govern by decree"
The Young and Naive Flock to Caracas, Report Back - no, Scott's not referring to 'Jad.