Sens. seek to smooth Bolivian relations

[Say_What]

<clips>

LA PAZ, Bolivia - A delegation of six U.S. senators led by incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid began on a visit to Bolivia Thursday, seeking to smooth relations with the South American country's left-leaning government.

Relations have been tense partly due to President Evo Morales' friendship with Presidents
Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and by Morales' background as the leader of coca growers fighting U.S. attempts to eradicate their crops.

Sen. Ken Salazar said in fluent Spanish to reporters that the trip "signals a different direction" for U.S.-Bolivian relations.

"I believe all of us want the same thing, to help lift up the people of Latin America so that they can achieve the human dignity they deserve," Salazar said, a Colorado Democrat.

Like Chavez, Morales has railed against U.S. foreign policy and occasionally accused the Bush administration of plotting to overthrow his government or even assassinate him.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061228/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/bolivia_us_1


U.S. incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shows a Bolivian sweater next to a Quechua indigenous, during a handicrafts exhibition promoted by USAID in La Paz, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2006. A delegation of six U.S. Senators lead by Reid arrived in Bolivia Thursday morning before a meeting later today with President Evo Morales. (AP Photo/ Juan Karita)

[Greeby]

1. Nice to see

I was worried that the key Democrats were going to swallow Bushco propaganda with regards to the new left South American governments

[BrotherBuzz]

2. That isn't just a Bolivian sweater, it's a huge symbol of freedom from oppression

Bolivia's president Evo Morales' much-photographed sweater is making a big fashion statement. The sudden popularity of the multicolored, striped sweater has inspired a song and a La Paz manufacturer to turn out a thousand sweaters like it.




I would proudly wear one in solidarity with the citizens of Bolivia.

[Judi Lynn]

3. This is tremendous. They've been taking a beating from right-wing sources

for not streaking back immediately to attend Ford's funeral, if you can believe that! (After _Bush has totally ignored these countries diplomatically, other than to THREATEN them concerning what would happen when they elected their various leftist leaders. In Bolivia's case, he even had Condoleeza Rice and Rumsfeld threaten Bolivia for a series of many MONTHS prior to the election, and the country STILL didn't back down. Good for them.)

Reid has informed reporters they will make every effort to be back at least in time for a few "Ford-related events" by next Tuesday.

As you may have noticed, this trip has been planned a long time, and we were reading about it days BEFORE FORD DIED. Of course they'd try to work it for a political advantage, or they wouldn't be right-wing, underhanded Republicans, would they?

From Say_What's article, these are the Congressmen going on the South American trip:

Joining Reid and Salazar are incoming Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Kent Conrad (news, bio, voting record), D-ND; Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H.; and Sen. Robert Bennett (news, bio, voting record), R-Utah.

If you've seen the attacks on Reid for this, you have seen them refer to the trip as a "junket," and they've even forgotten to include attacks on the two Republicans who are also going! Probably an oversight. :eyes:

[Say_What]

4. U.S. senator calls for improved U.S.-Bolivia relations

<clips>

...But following what he described as a "long, intense conversation" Thursday with Bolivia's first Indian president, Reid said the only way to improve relations with Latin America is by paying more attention to the region.

"I believe that the U.S. needs to be heavily involved in Latin America, and we're not," the Nevada Democrat told The Associated Press. "I believe that Bolivia is looking for help, and I think we can be an agent for help."

Latin America's recent populist shift, of which Morales has been an eager standard-bearer, was due in part to U.S. neglect of the region, Reid said.

"As we speak we're spending US$2.5 billion (€1.9 billion) a week in Iraq," he added. "For a small, insignificant share of that US$2.5 billion we could have a tremendous impact on infrastructure development in this part of the world which is so badly needed."

As for Morales' close ties to fellow leftist and U.S. critic President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Reid said, "We don't have to walk away from a man who's having conversations with someone we don't like."

The senator praised Morales "magnetic personality" and said that he "could be, if things work out right, the best leader this country ever had."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/29/america/LA_GEN_Bolivia_US.php


Bolivia's President Evo Morales, center, and Vice-President Alvaro Garcia, fourth from right, pose for a picture with a delegation of U.S. Senators in La Paz Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2006. A delegation of six U.S.Senators arrived in Bolivia Thursday before heading to Ecuador and Peru in the coming days. From left Sen. Robert Bennett, Sen. Richard Durbin, U.S Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg, Sen. Harry Reid, Morales, Garcia, Sen. Ken Conrad, Sen. Judd Gregg and Sen. Ken Salazar.(AP Photo/Juan Karita)

[Judi Lynn]

5. Hope this isn't wandering too far off track, but there's a Rove-like attack going on, on these guys,

at least the DEMOCRATS in this group, making a lot of noise about the fact they won't be back in time to attend all of the planned President Ford funeral activities. You recall we were reading about this upcoming trip long before President Ford died, and they were already down there when he did.

(The same tone is NOT taken describing the fact _{George W. Bush} is still in Texas, and won't be back for the State Funeral.)

Here's a creepy little piece put out by a tv station, placed in the Senator's home state (by whom, you have to wonder):

Conrad to Miss Ford Funeral
KFYR-TV News
12/28/2006

~Click for photo~
Some members of the Senate will be conspicuously absent from former President Gerald Ford`s state funeral at the Capitol Rotunda on Saturday. And on that list: North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad. He`ll be on a weeklong trip to South America.

Soon-to-be majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada is heading a bi-partisan delegation on visits to Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Reid`s spokesman says meetings with the South American presidents have been scheduled for a long time. He says U.S. relations with some of the countries are in need of improvement.
(snip)

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=4302

A decent photo of Senator Kent Conrad:


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This is very similar to the time Colorado Democratic Senator David Skaggs attempted to remove taxpayer financing from TV Marti, the bogus tv station the Cuban "exiles" in Miami control, operate, staff which beams THEIR propaganda at Cuba. Skaggs said that Cubans get tv stations from the States, anyway, and TV Marti is simply not telling them anything they don't already know.

Cuban Republican Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart got up in David Skaggs "grill" and informed him that he personally would go after every project Skaggs held near and dear, and he would destroy them. He did. Then he and the Cuban American National Foundation took out advertising all over Colorado, telling them that David Skaggs had blown all the projects they needed. Skaggs was not re-elected.

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If the propagandists are going to spike these little poison articles in these Democrats' home states, they need to remember there are TWO REPUBLICANS on that trip, and do the same to them. What a bunch of monsters.

I've read a couple of articles which claim they're all off on a "junket!" I hope one day their filthy tricks are going to blow up in their slimey faces.