The Maletagate continues, plus "fake socialism" accusations

Sorry, not much to say, I have been busy this week end and today I did not even bought the papers. However I felt like dropping a little note to keep folks somewhat up to date. In no particular order.

Globovison passed tonight about half of an Argentina newscast. Over there, the 800 000 bucks piece of luggage is an affair that is not going away. The head of Uberti apparently will not be enough.

In fact rumor has that Kirchner is pressing Chavez for a Venezuelan head. Naturally he is asking for the head of PDVSA in Buenos Aires. But Chavez is demurring, he really, really does not like to behead his supporters even when caught red handed. Usually in such cases they go into some discreet oblivion and if their "mistake" was not too grave they get rewarded for their loyalty and silence with some diplomatic position. This has become a feature of the regime I suppose, when the moral and financial corruption is so extended that nobody can get fired because too many people are afraid the fired guy will open his or her big mouth. Usually in such regimes when money becomes a tad scarcer, they start having "accidents".

If in Argentina the investigations seem to proceed as expected in Venezuela whatever little bit is does seem oriented at finding excuses. For example, Carroña, oops, Carreño, the interior minister of the "Dead Montesinos" fame is saying that the plane touched down in Bolivia. Let's visit this issue for a short while. Antonini got up on the plane empty handed. At a refueling stop in Bolivia he went down and picked up the bag of money. In Bolivia, of all places, where 800 000 USD is a colossal fortune to be given away just like that. Yeah right, and from someone of the negative credibility of Carroña we will buy that.... The objectives of the Venezuelan government are now clear: to pretend that the money did not leave from Venezuela AT ANY COST, to point all to Antonini, to not investigate seriously. Period. Just like Anderson case, excuses, more excuses and deliberate false leads...

And speaking of Antonini. The security cameras of Buenos Aires caught him as he was checking in for the Montevideo flight that took him away of the country. Now it is "el gordo Antonini". Venezuelans are a true joke over there... But the press found also a nice picture of a red Ferrari sponsored by Antonini (with others) and carrying the "Venezuela es de Todos" sticker. The Bolivarian Revolution associated with one of the richest "sports"?. Now I have sen it all! What next? The America Cup? Polo games with Bonnie Prince Charles?

For those who do not trust blogs, El Universal has now an historical account in English.

But that Ferrari association, or rather, miss-association with Venezuelan Socialism is not the only problem that Chavez must face in his defense of a democratic socialism which is looking faker by the minute. The socialist party of Spain, in earlier days a strong supporter of Chavez is now going the way of almost all European Socialists and Social Democratic parties: Chavez is a fake. Elena Valenciano, a spokesperson of the party, has said that they are "worried by the authoritarian drift of the regime". She also added their concern about "the clear intervention [of the state] in the media, controlling spaces that in many cases are pure and hard propaganda of the regime". Obviously in Spain RCTV has been closed, not silly "suspended" euphemism.

No wonder Chavez suspended his Alo Presidente today, with Maletagate his self promoting tour in LatAm, check book in hand, has tanked miserably. And if in addition the RCTV issue is far from leaving people's mind as he was also quizzed in Argentina during an interview...... I bet you today Miraflores was very busy with febrile damage control discussions. What they do not seem to understand that the more they delay their answer, or at least strategy, on the matter, the more pro Chavez opinion might start wondering....

-The end-