Venezuela Says Clinton’s Remarks Reflect “Profound Lack of Knowledge of Our Reality”

Source: Venezuela Analysis

Venezuela Says Clinton’s Remarks Reflect “Profound Lack of Knowledge of Our Reality”

July 9th 2009, by James Suggett

Mérida, July 9th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) -- In an official statement on Wednesday, the Venezuelan Foreign Relations Ministry said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks on Venezuelan democracy during an interview with the opposition television station Globovision constituted a throwback to past U.S. policy and put into question the sincerity of the Obama administration as the two countries renew their shaky diplomatic relations.

"In a moment in which efforts are being made to improve the relationship with the United States government, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton repeats the old practice of giving recipes and emitting evaluations of Venezuelan democracy," stated the Ministry.

"The insinuations of the Secretary of State reflect a profound lack of knowledge of our reality," the Ministry's statement continued. "It is difficult to believe in the sincerity of intention of recomposing bilateral relations."

In Washington on Tuesday, Clinton met with two prominent Venezuelan opposition leaders, Alberto Ravell, the owner of the ardently oppositionist television station Globovision, and Leopoldo Castillo, the host of a talk show on Globovision and former Venezuelan ambassador to El Salvador. Castillo has been accused of assisting U.S.-backed death squads in El Salvador during the 1980s.

In an interview that was later broadcast on national television in Venezuela, Castillo asked Clinton what the official U.S. position would be "if the Venezuelan government permanently shut down an independent media." Clinton responded, "Part of what we hope to see over the next months in Venezuela is a recognition that you can be a very strong leader and have very strong opinions without trying to take on too much power and trying to silence all your critics."

In recent years, the government of President Hugo Chavez has sanctioned several private media outlets for breaking laws on social responsibility in the media. In 2007, the government did not renew the expired broadcasting license of a prominent opposition-aligned channel, RCTV, which had participated in a two-day coup d'etat led by elite business and military leaders against Chavez in 2002. Globovision and the U.S. government also backed the coup and immediately recognized the coup government.

Read more: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4609

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And apparently, the US also supports the Honduran coup.

nt

Cold Turkey. No response to the pleading managers at work. Just thrirty days to give them a taste of what a pain in the ass 40 or more million people refusing to enable the regime really are.

Multiply those steps by 80 million other people doing it simultaneously, and you've got a Government crying like a pussy.

It can happen, but I think Americans are too well trained to ever think about risking the loss of their job for something as important as this.

I am already doing it, and going on 6 years now. It doesn't work in isolation I'm afraid.

Was it in regards to the Honduran coup?

Where does the buck stop at?

Why should the U.S. Government!?!?

What are you a Constitutionalist or something crazy like that?

Laws are for keeping the little people in line. The regals can do anything they want.

Unfortunately, she ignores context at our peril.

whose "anchor" Leopoldo Castillo is being investigated for war crimes in the dirty war in El Salvador. The right wing in the region sees the mere fact of this interview as a signal.

My choices are that she either doesn't know what she's doing or that she did.

From 2007 DU archives:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3886868#3887201

Hillary Clinton speaking to a group of wealthy supporters: "Take that, Venezuela!"

In what’s sure to be the first of many star-studded events for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, about 1,000 well-heeled New York Democrats gathered last night for a sit-down dinner at the Sheraton to get their first taste of the Clinton '08 campaign machine. Ron Howard, Chelsea Clinton, and Moby mixed it up with a slew of Wall Street types and the state's congressional delegation. Charles Rangel and Chuck Schumer warmed up the crowd, who paid $1,000 for a plate of filet mignon, risotto, and spinach served with Cabernet Sauvignon. (The good seats were $4,600 each.) But everyone was just waiting for the Clintons (or just Bill?), who took the floor accompanied by Jesus Jones's "Right Here, Right Now." The former president jawed on for a good fifteen minutes, lauding his wife and comparing her to Eleanor Roosevelt. Reluctant to yield the stage, he finally did — just so a raspy-voiced Hillary could launch into her stump-speech points: health care, lower college tuition, and pulling troops from Iraq. The audience warmed when she talked about how the couple conserves energy up in Chappaqua: He replaces lightbulbs, and she mutters to herself with every flip of the switch, "Take that, Iran! Take that, Venezuela!"

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/03/hillary_and_bill_make_the_buck.html

In the video of her speech, broadcast by ABC News and posted in DU at the time, Hillary stated that the values of the Bolivarian revolution were "not our values." In that statement Hillary clearly aligned herself with the Venezuelan elites.

Take note that Hillary took pains to lump Venezuela with Iran, while not mentioning Saudi Arabia.

Hillary is also an enabler of terrorism! Unlike Dennis Kucinich and other progressives, Hillary has chosen to remain silent on Venezuela's extradition request for Cuban-exile Luis Posada Carriles to be tried for his acts of terrorism.

Posada Carriles is a CIA-trained operative implicated in a series of terrorists incidents, including the bombing of the Cubana Airlines civilian airliner that killed 73 people on October 6, 1976. In November 2000, Posada Carriles was arrested in Panama for preparing a bomb to explode in the University of Panama’s Conference Hall, where Fidel Castro was scheduled to deliver a speech.

I'm glad Hillary is not part of the Oba...

Never mind.

ensure that multinational corporate interests reap their profits unimpeded.

The political establishment of the USA has only one goal, one job, one responsibility.

Maintain the status quo. Our empire! Our imperialists! Our exploiters! Our corporate masters!

We killed, broke treaties, invaded countries, deposed elected leaders in many countries, installed many dictators, trained death squad leaders, tortured and abetted torture, dropped atomic bombs on civilians, firebombed civilians, and continually subvert the peoples aspirations for justice, freedom and self-determination in foreign nations around the world.

Bamboozling the masses is their only game.

Both "parties" are the two branches of the CAPITALIST PARTY.

Neither of these groups actually care about the people.

Unfulfilled campaign promises are the magic elixir of candidates. Telling the sheeple, you and me, what we want to hear. Or more often speaking in ambiguous cliches and platitudes while avoiding the vital issues that should be in focus.

Hmmmmmm.

Not sure that you can have your own reality. Pretty sure there is just reality in general.

The "reality" being referred to is the "reality" of Venezuela's own unique historical, political, economic, and cultural milieu. Every country in the world has its own "reality" in terms of how these various elements form the context in which their societies and governments operate.

I'm sure you can recognize that the reality of life in China is not only quite different from the reality of life in the U.S., but may also be quite different than any pre-conceived ideas you may have about it.

sw

Its called reality.

were the featured journalist conducting the interview. Then she says she supports their propaganda.