So, That's Why McCain Went to Colombia

[Joanne98]

It was a set-up from the get-go, choreographed by the Bush administration and eagerly embraced by Colombia's narco-president, Alvaro Uribe. Yesterday's liberation of high-profile hostages in Colombia was merely the gloss for the larger rescue mission: to save Senator John McCain's flagging presidential campaign.

When McCain announced he'd be going to Colombia, and then Mexico (where he is today, more on that in a moment), to preach the "free trade" doctrine, it almost seemed to sabotage the Republican Party's recent decision to target four of the states most hurt by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin - the latter three of which just lost thousands of auto-worker jobs last month (as the links on those states' names reveal).

Those plant closings are of course related to the new NAFTA fact that Mexican auto workers have been forced to accept reduced pay to lure the auto factories there.

Of all the countries in the world to visit, McCain's trip to Colombia to tout a trade agreement underscores one of his domestic political weaknesses: the rust-belt economy held hostage (year fourteen).

Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa will tag-team a conference call today with Colombian oil-workers leader Jorge Gamboa to drive the point home:



Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa will hold a press teleconference on Wednesday, July 2 to discuss John McCain's trip to Colombia to push another job-killing trade agreement with a country that continues to turn a blind eye to human rights violations, including an alarming rise in murders of trade unionists.


More than 2,500 trade unionists have been assassinated in Colombia since 1986, more than in any country in the world. Already this year, 27 Colombian trade unionists have been killed.



But now the world can see why McCain chose this week to go to Colombia: to be the beneficiary of a grand simulation and show by President Uribe, who may, by next year, come to regret trying to meddle in US politics on behalf of one candidate against another.

Frank James reports:



The rescue's timing may have merely been coincidental with McCain's visit to Colombia.


But if Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe were going to help one of the presidential candidates, it would likely be McCain more than Sen, Barack Obama since the all-but-official Republican presidential nominee supports the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement while Sen. Barack Obama doesn't.



Upon the hostages release, McCain had a statement all ready to go. This line in it was interesting:



"I'm pleased with the success of this very high-risk operation. Sometimes in the past, the FARC has killed the hostages rather than let them be rescued."


Let me translate that into English: the Colombian Army's meat-cleaver approach to fighting that country's civil war is littered with botched rescue missions and more collateral damage upon civilians than a hurricane can cause. The success of yesterday's raid is how we know that Washington's fingerprints were all over this one.

It was an image-laundering operation, and at that, a two-fer: Uribe gets to look bold and competent and is delivered new talking points to justify his authoritarian reign of terror, and McCain is made to seem as if he's like, well, Bill Richardson or Jesse Jackson, who really have negotiated the release of hostages and prisoners.

In fact, it wasn't McCain who, last month, called upon the Colombian guerrillas to release those hostages. It was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. McCain only started talking about them after the fix was in.

Three months ago, your reporter noticed the peculiar obsession that President Uribe had with the rise of Senator Obama's candidacy (see Uribe's Attack on Obama, April 3, 2008, Narco News).

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/so-thats-why-...

[IntravenousDemilo]

1. That, and to renew his prescription. n/m

[no limit]

2. lol

[peace13]

3. Yup and those hostages were held over five years!!!!

Why did it take so long. What did the Rthugs pay from the US Treasury ot trade to get the job done? This is crazy sad!!!!

[paparush]

4. F#ck yes...to show Mr. Tough Guy..On the Front Lines. Taking Care of Business

Bring em Back Alive
The Maverick
Ready to Take Command

Complete Psy-Ops on the 'Murkin Voter.

[Judi Lynn]

5. GREAT article! Perfect aim. Thank you. n/t

[Demeter]

6. Does Anybody Think This Will Work? Anybody Sane, That Is?

Shoring up that 23% base, maybe.

[philly_bob]

7. What media figure will call bull shit on such a clearly bogus setup? /nt

[bluesmail]

8. Very clear, concise, succinct article. Made more sense (K&R)

than the 'official' story.

[jmoniker]

9. Uribe and McCain are coordinated

This is as phony an operation as it can get.