Russian leader visits Venezuela in show of defiance

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Russian leader visits Venezuela in show of defiance
by Nick Coleman Nick Coleman – 26 mins ago

CARACAS (AFP) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday arrived here for talks with Venezuela's anti-US leader Hugo Chavez, on a visit that brings Moscow's military muscle-flexing close to US shores.

The Russian leader was to hold talks with the Venezuelan president before visiting Russian battleships that are in Venezuela for exercises in the Caribbean Sea.

Medvedev's visit is part of a Latin American tour aimed at revitalizing Cold War-era ties with left-leaning countries of the region and is seen as a bid to rebuff US moves in former Soviet lands.

Chavez was also hosting the presidents of Bolivia, Dominica, Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua, for a meeting of an economic group designed to counter US influence.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081126/wl_afp/venezuelarussiadiplomacy_081126223446

---

How's the ((((((( spin ))))))) in this headline? A "show of defiance" must look something like this:

http://lmno4p.org.nyud.net:8090/images/6.5/angry_bush.jpg http://i.cnn.net.nyud.net:8090/cnn/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/23/governors.bush.ap/story.vert.jeb.bush.ap.jpg

[crisdecuba]

1. Bleh!

I hate it when headlines make statements that are clearly their own interpretations...

[msongs]

2. umm the leader of russia is allowed to visit another country if he wants - not defiant at all nt

[leftstreet]

3. "Defiance" what bullshit

:eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

4. This is the language of a colonial power fearful of losing its colonies

Latin America doesn't belong to the US, and the people there are not slaves!

[last1standing]

5. the bush* meltdown will affect this country in many ways. This is just one.

President Obama will need to divert so many resources and energy into fixing the mess bush* made with the economy that it will give countries like Russia and China the opportunity to sell other countries on the idea that they are the real superpowers, not the U.S. Medvedev and Hu Jintao would love to see a failed United States

[empire we are]

6. The last line should read

a meeting of an economic group designed to counter US CORPORATE influence.
The multi-billionaires are not happy.

[The Sushi Bandit]

7. Defiance of what??

Screw Nick Coleman, elitist bastard!

[Larkspur]

8. Since we meddle with the countries next to Russia, I suppose Russia

meddling or making alliances with Latin American countries is fair play. Course, we'll invoke the Monroe Doctrine but I doubt the leaders of most Latin American countries will support it.

[zelta gaisma]

9. I love the "show of defiance" is coupled with "left-leaning countries Soviet lands"

[madrchsod]

10. the russians have "bad shoes"

a friend of mine from ghana said russians have "bad shoes". when he was in school in the 60`s, the russians and the us peace corps were rivals in ghana...the peace corp people treated him far better than the russians.

[ooglymoogly]

11. Am I really the first to rec this.....sheeesh nt kr

[unkachuck]

12. I too like that 'show of defiance'.....

....which incidently says more to me about Agence France-Presse than Medvedevs' visit to Venezuela....

....personally, I think since Dmitry was in the neighborhood, he thought he'd just drop in and say 'hi'....and maybe have himself a cold brewski with Hugo....

[bitchkitty]

13. Ha! Show of defiance...

Our media makes me laugh very hard, and cry even harder...

[alittlelark]

14. An 'Act of Defiance'... oh yeah. HA-HA (a'la Simpsons)

"Act of DEFIANNCE"



UH......Yeah.

[Duende azul]

15. OMG: "close to US shores." But we were told they would be spotted from Alaska!

[bemildred]

16. Mighty Wurlitzer fumes about Russians visiting Latin America in show of petulance. nt