The news from Venezuela has brightened an otherwise gloomy weekend. With all the organs of state at his disposal, Chavez could not convince the Venezuelans to surrender their freedom completely. The fact that the vote was only 51% to 49% is an indication of what it might have been if the opposition had been able to make their case openly.
UPDATE: Here is more on what may happen this week once Chavez digests this rejection of his attempt at absolute power.
Still, I wonder if we would have done so well as they. I have nearly finished the Timmerman book and the conclusions are not reassuring. I might add that my posting some of them as regards the Iraqi WMD story prompted a furious reaction on another blog. He goes into more detail and I may post more here in the future but it is not a happy story. Porter Goss was our last chance to save the CIA and Bush’s willingness to see him maneuvered out of office by Negroponte is depressing. Goss, at least, had the last word. Informed that he was to be forced to resign by Josh Bolton, Bush’s new Chief of Staff, he walked into the White House and quit effective at 3 PM that day. He had not known he was to be forced out the day before but, unlike most of his CIA colleagues, Goss can make a quick decision. Rather than let Negroponte slice him with a thousand cuts of media leaks, Goss left immediately. Negroponte was one of the State Department insiders whose preferred role was as a bureaucrat while Goss’s role was as a change agent. Guess which one lost?
Maybe I should move to Venezuela where people seem better able to recognize crap when they see it.
But how long will they be able to voice their concern over the crap they see without threat of death? That’s the problem with Chavez and his desire to rule, his icon is a ruthless killer.
Venezuela is ticking. So is Russia. I wonder how long the former Soviet states that broke away will be able to remain independant if Putin really gets his way.
))Negroponte was one of the State Department insiders whose preferred role was as a bureaucrat while Goss’s role was as a change agent. Guess which one lost?((
From my experience, changing a bureaucracy is similar to trying to change a dysfunctional teenager: you tend to get the counterintuitive effect of more dysfunction.
If you confront a teenage drug addict, they often cop petulance and take even more drugs.
Likewise bureaucracies dig in their heels and give you more of the same.
I start pining for the days of Stalin, when one could send in the green hats with live ammunition, but this has its own drawbacks.
I might add that my posting some of them as regards the Iraqi WMD story prompted a furious reaction on another blog.
Must have been a boneheaded blog. 😉
I can’t remember where it was but the reaction was furious. Timmerman has more references so, maybe when I have time and work up the courage, I’ll write a post about it. Saddam sent his air force to Iran just before the first Gulf War so there is a precedent.
Dr. K., this is YOUR blog. YOU get to make the rules here. And I have utterly no problem with you banning anyone at all if they are abusive, insulting, or the like. It’s possible to disagree politely.
Must have been a boneheaded blog. 😉
Indeed.
I’m not about to ban anyone. I might call a spade a spade, an action lacking recently at another blog.
I’m just saying that YOU get to make the rules in YOUR house. Like any blog can.