Colombia Front - Dodd & Obama vs. Bill Clinton & Penn's Burson-Marstellar, Glover Park lobby groups

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0607/The_Colombia_front.html

June 12, 2007

The Colombia front

I missed this over the weekend, but Colombia, unexpectedly enough, is emerging as a front in the Democratic primary.

Chris Dodd and Barack Obama are trying to use congressional funding to force the Colombian government to cut its ties to paramilitary groups.

Bill Clinton, meanwhile, accepted an award from the president of Colombia a few days ago, and pushed back against the notion of limiting funding.

Meanwhile, Colombia has hired none other than the Clintonite Glover Park Group and Mark Penn's Burson-Marstellar to lobby on its behalf, according to the AP.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/08/ap/politics/main2906536.shtml

[Tom Joad]

1. Clinton. The problem is not just Iraq.

[Radical Activist]

2. The Clinton-Carville

wing of the Democratic Party doesn't exactly have progressive values when it comes to Latin America. They would take us back to the good old days when any conservative could be President/Dictator of banana republic as long as they're friendly to US corporations.

[William769]

3. Whats the problem?

“We have improved. We need to do much more, but we are on the right way”

Former President Bill Clinton on Friday urged Congress to consider the strides Colombia has made, even as fellow Democrats threatened to reduce aid to Washington's closest ally in Latin America.

'We need to remember that we are friends,' Clinton said as he accepted an award from Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. 'We need to remember that we want to share a common future. We need to remember that for the first time in over three decades there is a law enforcement presence representing the elected government of Colombia.' Read more

http://www.topix.com/us-senate/2007/06/former-president-clinton-honored-in-nyc-by-colombia-amid-scrutiny

Oh yea, he's married to Hillary. :eyes:

[Colobo]

4. William, the problem here is simple

First of all, everyone over here knows I'm sympathetic to the Latin American right, and I have supported Uribe publicly.

The problem here is that Uribe is funding right wing guerrillas with Plan Colombia's money. That's wrong.

[William769]

10. I agree this is wrong

"Uribe is funding right wing guerrillas with Plan Colombia's money", but he's the best they have had in awhile and he is Democratically elected just like Chavez. If it wasn't Bill Clinton I guarantee you this wouldn't have been discussed at all is my point.

[flpoljunkie]

6. The problem is Uribe and the right wing militias running amok. Gore evidently agrees with Obama.

Democrats Push Colombia on Terrorists Groups
BOGOTA, Colombia, Jun. 8, 2007

The Democrats' letter called on Colombia to take "vigorous measures" to hold the right-wing militias accountable, including the removal of mobile phones and Internet access for jailed warlords and their extradition to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges.

<>Uribe is expected to present Clinton with the "Colombia is Passion" award for his solidarity with the violence-wracked country at an event to which hip-shaking Colombian pop star Shakira has been invited.

Colombia is spending more than $100,000 on lobbying Democrats in a bid to rescue the trade pact.

In April, former Vice President Al Gore backed out of an environmental conference in Miami to avoid appearing alongside Uribe.

Around the same time, Colombia hired The Glover Park Group and public relations giant Burson-Marsteller to counter growing criticism of Colombia on Capitol Hill.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/08/ap/politics/main2906536.shtml

[Colobo]

8. I'm glad Uribe is fighting the left wing guerrillas, which are more of a problem

than the "paramilitares", but we don't need death squads anymore.

[Colobo]

5. By the way, it's COLOMBIA, not COLUMBIA.

[flpoljunkie]

7. Sorry, didn't notice the typing error. It has been edited. Thanks!

[Colobo]

9. No problem, buddy!

[illinoisprogressive]

11. I read about this and surprise! media is covering it up so it doesn't hurt their Hillary

[jmp]

12. Supporting the marxist ...

Supporting the marxist narco-traffickers? :eyes:

There's left ... and then there's insane left. Let the Democratic Party adopt the cause of that anti-US crowd, and the GOP will own the White House and both houses of Congress for another 2 decades.

If word gets around that Obama is coddling communists, drug traffickers and terrorists ... good luck winning support among moderates and independents.