Palmer out, Santos in, BBC out drinking KoolAid

UPDATE!! In what can only be interpreted as further marks of Chavez weakening position we got today one significant development and another one, possibly major.

As expected, Larry Palmer will not be ambassador in Caracas and thus the US Senate will not need to vote on his confirmation next September.  Chavez simply said today that he woudl not receive Palmer "He disqualified himself by breaking all the rules of diplomacy. He messed with all of us. He can't come here."  Of course, Chavez NEVER breaks any of the rules of diplomacy and if he breaks them, well, he is El supremo so tough luck!

These people have absolutely no shame

As you all know unless you live under a rock, Russia is prey of devastating fires that cannot be controlled because too many originate from the drying out of peat areas which can thus easily create spontaneous combustion.  Guess who has offered help?  Venezuela!  You know, that country known world wide for its extraordinary ability to stop the burning up of the Avila National Park with a single helicopter...

Of course the ones telling us that are the ineffable Cuban press agency Prensa Latina who has the nerve to underline that the brilliant Venezuela ability to put down fires is due to previous cooperation with Russia.

I wonder if Chavez actually ever cared about the Avila burning....

Digging for Bolivar, seen from the New York Times

I still cannot bring myself to write about that offense to all of us when Chavez ordered the seizure of bolivar bones for his political needs and other assorted necrophiliac obsessions he might have.  But Simon Romero does at the NYT.  The poor guy tries to report as objectively as possible but one can tell how grossed out he was not only by the sceance content of the whole disgusting show but by its implications as to the quality of the people that rule over the fate of Venezuela.  It is hard to be a foreign correspondent in Venezuela these days.

Mr. Palmer might not enjoy Venezuelan palm trees after all

Updated!  I was commenting on my last post that the replies of Ambassador designate to Venezuela, Larry Palmer, to Senator Lugar were rather interesting.  In them, among other pearls, he discussed the lack of morale of the Venezuelan army, the Cuban influence, the inability of Chavez to make real his threat of cutting oil supply to Venezuela and other such.  I read them as mild mannered since I am living at ground zero and thus all what Palmer said is true and in fact much worse than what his diplomatic language implied.  But of course the reality to which I should have been more sensible is that no ambassador can ever express itself on internal matters of the country he is sent to, the more so that he has not set foot in that country yet.

Foreign Policy wants you to take Chavez seriously

For the kick of it read this entry on Foreign Policy as to why it is time to see Chavez more than a clown, a dangerous clown.  Short and to the point. (Hat tip J.R.)

And while you are at it read the latest Hitchens where you will learn interesting tidbits as to Chavez doubting the moon landing and the existence of Osama.  Somethings just cannot be invented....

PS: and you can also read the confirmation hearings questions by Senator Lugar to ambassador designated Palmer. (hat tip P.M.).  At least we know that if Palmer is confirmed he will now what he is getting himself to.

Chavez and Uribe in French

So I went ahead and wrote on the fast in French a summary of the recent Colombia Venezuela spat, at the leftist central of Agoravox.  It is important to note that even if in a few hours I received more than 100 comments finding different ways to insult me, the editors know better than caving in to this hysterical French far left and keep publishing "controversial" articles.

Be nice, if you read French visit, register, vote for the article and even leave a comment in Spanish or English.  You will have the pleasure to read briefly thereafter a reply from my critics that I am bringing in my empire paid chorus, or something of the sort :)

Chavez secretly sends troops to the Colombian border

Chavez said: (my emphasis)

"Hemos desplegado unidades para defender nuestra soberanía en caso de una agresión. Unidades de defensa aérea, unidades aéreas, unidades de infantería, de operaciones especiales; en silencio porque no queremos agredir a nadie ni queremos causar alarma en las poblaciones"

"We have deployed units to defend our sovereignty in case of aggression.  Units of aerial defense, aerial units [?], infantry units, of special operations; silently because we do not want to attack anyone nor cause alarm in the population"

aarghhh, cough, cough, hahahahhahahahah....


[a relative found the author of this blog convulsing on the floor in what seemed an extraordinary attack of laughter.  The relative took the liberty to post this anyway hoping readers will be kind enough to understand]