A good article on Kerry, VZ, and Haiti

[AP]

Disturbing Mixed Signals from Senator Kerry's Latin America Policy
Thursday, Apr 01, 2004
By: Larry Birns - Council on Hemispheric Affairs

•  Sen. Kerry woos hard-line Cuban right; risks marring his reputation as an advocate of a more principled foreign policy.

•  The Democratic candidate could witness a substantial bloc of voters defect to a possible resurgent Nader campaign, which could cost him dearly in swing states, and even sway the election.

•  Outflanking Bush on the right regarding Cuba and Venezuela could dangerously ignite these issues, as occurred in the first Bush presidency when the U.S. invaded Panama in 1989.

•  Kerry’s Latin American script could have been written by Roger Noriega and Otto Reich.

•  The Democratic candidate: sterile on Cuba and Venezuela, good on Haiti.   

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1146

The bullet points are a good summary.

I disagree that this is going to send very many voters to Nader. Since this is an issue I care a great deal about and I'm not about to vote for Nader over it, I can't believe that there are that many voters out there who would. I don't even think that many Americans appreciate what this issue is about.

I also have been baffled myself by how smart Kerry's response to Haiti was, but his VZ position is diametrically opposed. I also think he has no option but to say what he says about Cuba. If I were him, I'd want to be competitive in FL.

[peacetalksforall]

1. Very pointed assessments and this one..

• Kerry’s Latin American script could have been written by Roger Noriega and Otto Reich.


...resinates with me, specifically.

Why...

reminds of his vote on the war.

People say he is a liberal. If I am supposed to be a liberal or left because I detest the U.S. policy on Haiti and Venezuela, then is he (another) centrist who makes me feel left out.

We don't have to take out people we don't like.
We don't have to take out people we don't like because they are in the way of something we want to takevover and rule.

We are not imperialists!

[AP]

2. But I think the article makes it clear that Kerry's Haiti views were GREAT

and that his VZ and Cuba views are just to win FL.

If he wins FL he'll probably be president. So, I'm down with that strategy. And I don't think that he'll lose votes to Nader over this issue.

I just think that throwing in VZ into the Cuba mix was STUPID. Criticize Castro all you want. He's still going to run Cuba the way he wants to run Cuba.

Chavez is not only facing a potential recall, but VZ is in a transition phase, and Kerry's criticism of him today might actually make a difference in what VZ looks like, politically and economically, in 2, 5, 10, 50 years. If Kerry wants' to fuck up VZ just to win FL, well, that's a pretty sad commentary on the world. But I'm still voting for him.