I caught this today. Anyone remember this "news"?
Interview: Chavez friend becomes foe
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer Thu Feb 14, 11:57 AM ET
CARACAS, Venezuela - Retired Gen. Raul Baduel weighs his words carefully even in closed-door meetings. These days, he says he is regularly followed by intelligence agents, and he is convinced that President Hugo Chavez watches his every move.
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But Baduel, once a member of Chavez's inner circle, speaks without a trace of uneasiness as he accuses his commander-in-chief of abandoning the democratic ideals they once shared.
The leftist Chavez, who argues that Latin America has long suffered from U.S. domination, has spread his government's booming oil revenues to socialist allies in the region and used Venezuela's wealth to finance a slew of populist initiatives at home. But he has also been accused of pursuing a more autocratic rule.
Baduel's break with Chavez late last year helped persuade Venezuelans to vote down constitutional changes that would have let the president run for re-election indefinitely. And since then, Baduel has become a key opposition figure, though one of the least visible — a behind-the-scenes operator intent on being a counterweight to Chavez.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_chavez_foeI remember it from NOVEMBER ahead of the referendum. This version is from 11/21, in the Interna'l Herald Tribune:
A Chávez ally in Venezuela turns critic
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/21/america/venez.php?WT.mc_id=rssfrontpageBut,look at all the outlets that picked this off the wire:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Interview%3A+Chavez+friend+becomes+foe&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8James Petras has countered the meme that the military is in rebellion, although that was also alleged before the referendum. There is a good analysis of pre-election opposition tactics here:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Venezuela_page/Venezuela_Ballots_Bullets.htmlAnd, we know the food shortage issue is the bookend to that "unrest in the military" charge.
So, how is this "new" article news?
eta: Ist headline