Rice Extends Good Will to Latin Leftists

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/rice

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who plans to attend the inauguration of a socialist in Chile this weekend, says the United States has no quarrel with leftist leaders in Latin America as long as they govern well.

"This is a wonderful moment, the inauguration of the Chilean president, a woman president," Rice told a group of Latin American, Asian and Australian reporters Thursday, a day before she began a trip to those places.

She was far less enthusiastic about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who frequently calls President Bush a terrorist. But she said the United States wants good relations with Bolivia's new president, a former coca-growers union boss who once vowed to be "Washington's nightmare."

Rice plans to attend Saturday's inauguration in Valparaiso of Chilean President-elect Michelle Bachelet, a pediatrician who is the first Latin American woman to be elected president without a powerful husband.

Rice will meet with Bolivian President Evo Morales when both attend the Bachelet inauguration. It will be their first meeting, and one closely watched in Latin America, where Bachelet and Morales are the latest leftist politicians to win democratic elections.

[acmejack]

1. Why do I find this so difficult to believe?

Could it have anything to do with Condiliar's track record of prevarication, mendacity, and outright bull shitting the public?

[Stockholm]

2. She is just a John Bolton

with nice shoes. I am sure Bachelet and Morales will show her all the courtesy a Bush administration delegate deserve.

[Mikimouse]

3. Oh yeah, like she is any judge of governing well...BS!

Arrogant, posturing, phoney. That's her!

[PFunk]

4. Personally I think Bushco is finially starting to realize that ....

...they have really F'd up in this region. And are starting to backtrack to cover their tails.

[Ben Ceremos]

6. Actually,

200+ years of fucking up in Latin America is the more accurate time period, not just Bushco...

[PFunk]

9. I stand corrected.

Still Bushco did more than their share of damage to this.

[rodeodance]

8. I hope LAmericans have sense enough to see though this hypocracy!

[Dhalgren]

5. Now, this is just so hard to grasp here....

Condie "says the United States has no quarrel with leftist leaders in Latin America as long as they govern well." You have got to be kidding me! She has the gall and the face to require some other government to "govern well"?! Un-fucking-believable....

[rodeodance]

7. "as they govern well.?---what a smackdown coming from this WH!

[Judi Lynn]

10. Rice to meet Bolivia's Morales

Rice to meet Bolivia's Morales
Wed Mar 8, 2006 8:57 PM ET

By Helen Popper

LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Wednesday economic issues would dominate a weekend meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the first high-level talks between the leftist and Washington.

Morales, who once described his movement as a "nightmare for the U.S.", announced the meeting at a news conference in which he reiterated sharp criticism of the United States after a string of spats in recent weeks.

"I have asked that the meeting deal fundamentally with economic matters," Morales told reporters, saying it would take place this weekend in Chile, where both he and Rice are due to attend Michelle Bachelet's inauguration as Chilean president.

Morales -- who has called Rice 'The Condoleezza' -- added that the agenda included preferential trade tariffs and global poverty-eradication goals. Bolivia is South America's poorest nation and the United States is its top aid donor.

Along with fellow Andean countries, Bolivia receives preferential trade tariffs from the United States as long as it cooperates in the war on drug-trafficking. But that deal expires at the end of the year and Bolivia has not taken part in free-trade negotiations with Washington.
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-09T015724Z_01_N08533678_RTRUKOC_0_US-BOLIVIA-US.xml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also hope, like Rodeodance, that all Latin American leaders can see through the _Bush administration's devious "diplomacy."

[0007]

12. My observation is that the Latin American Leaders can now see the forest.

The Houston rag

"I have no plans to see the Venezuelan president," Rice said.

But Chavez will be at the Bachelet ceremony in Valparaiso.

Chavez has repeatedly accused the U.S. of trying to oust him. U.S. officials deny it but have increasingly expressed alarm about Chavez's domination of Venezuelan politics and his close ties to Cuba's Fidel Castro.

Morales campaigned with a milder anti-American edge. He jokingly mispronounced Rice's first name before his election in January, calling her "Condolencia," or condolences in Spanish, and made headlines with his remark that his election would be a nightmare for the United States.

Since his election, Morales has held a cordial phone call with Bush and asked the United States to reconsider a proposed cut in anti-drug aid to Bolivia from $80 million to $67 million.

[phusion]

11. Bachelet is still considerably a neoliberal

Rice and all other global corporatists would still like to maintain a "relationship" with Chile as long as Bachelet stays like that...

[mediaman007]

16. I think that NPR reported that Bachelet's father was a victim of

U.S. backed terrorism back in the 70's or 80's. (Sorry I don't have a source, but I think it was Morning Edition on 03/10.

[phusion]

17. yes...

Actually, I believe Bachelet was also tortured by the Pinochet regime.

The US supported Pinochet when he overthrew Salvador Allende, the democratically elected president at the time.

[goforit]

13. She dug her grave and now she gotta sit in it!!! Goodwill my ass!

[mom cat]

14. The good will will disapear after the US extricates itself from the

Gulf Wars.

[GregW]

15. They're an anarcho-syndicalist commune

Hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society