Huge Ego Chavez Qualifies for U.S. CEO Slot

Venezuelan President Huge Ego Chavez joins the CEO of Chiquita Brands in funding Columbian terrorists. Hugo should examine Bush's treatment of Chiquita executives and demand similar treatment. The U.S. Justice Department sent no Chiquita leaders to Guantanamo Bay for their role in spreading international terror.

The company paid $1.7 million in protection money from 1997 to 2004. This after paying FARC from 1989 to 1997, the same terror group Chavez is accused of funding. Chiquita's penalty for financing terrorists was a $25 million fine while the CEO skittered off to run another company, Hollinger/Sun Times Media.

Today George W. Bush spoke on behalf of Columbia's President at the White House. He said:

America fully supports Colombia's democracy, and that we firmly oppose any acts of aggression that could destabilize the region. I told him that America will continue to stand with Colombia as it confronts violence and terror and fights drug traffickers.

As long as they aren't American corporations or their executives. Sounds like a banana republic?

Bush & Omert Brandish Middle East Sticks

Violent division took a brief break between Israel and the Palestinians as U.S. Secretary of State Condi Rice tried to achieve Bush's vision of a two state solution. When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to play, the U.S. and Israel sharpened their canes. Consider the switches they're ready to throw.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni threatened to re-occupy Gaza. Whack! Take that Abbas.

Another Israeli leader suggested Egypt and Jordan might need to rule the Palestinian Territories given the current government's inability to address terrorists. Thwack! Did that sting Mahmoud?

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggested Israel needs help in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat. "I don't think the Iranian issue is primarily Israel's responsibility," Olmert said during a meeting with Druse students in the village of Julis. "It is the responsibility of the United States and the responsibility of other members of the international community that are convinced that Iran constitutes a threat."

Oh yea, military force remains on the table. One could infer the U.S. and other countries would have a responsibility to support Israel if they choose that option. Olmert doesn't believe sanctions to date are enough to halt Iran in its race to attain nuclear weapons. "Israel definitely considers itself threatened by Iran, but Israel has the might to defend itself from any threat - no matter the circumstances."

And where was George W. while the Middle East continued fracturing? He met with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House. Ever the slacker, Bush thinks there's plenty of time to cram for a peace agreement. The current violence is but a simple step back. similar to a bad roll on a late night RISK game. Consider his words:

"Ten months is a long time. It's plenty of time to get a deal done." He said Rice was pushing the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to resume talks (recall those switches?). "I am optimistic that they can conclude tough negotiations," he said. "I'm still as optimistic as I was after Annapolis."

But is he still underhanded in his divide and conquer machinations? Eight years ago, I voted for a uniter. It appears I was way too optimistic. Still waiting...

Abbas Rebuffs Rice's Sleight of Hand Democracy

Secretary of State Condi Rice is having a bad decade. It seems wherever she goes, there is little to no impact. She can't even say "stop killing innocents" in Gaza where over 100 people were exterminated. Instead Ms. Rice offered "innocent people should not have to die." Yet, die they must as Israel defends itself militarily and Hamas continues its violent practice of making and shooting rockets into nearby Israeli neighborhoods.

It sounds much like Israel's incursion into Lebanon nearly two years ago to knock down the Hezbollah rocket threat. That ended in a cease fire, a word Ms. Rice won't touch in reference to Gaza. What complicates Condi's word choice? It's the old democracy, elections, political parties, terrorist razor blade edge. Palestinians voted Hamas into power in 2006 open elections. The U.S. refused to recognize the newly elected leaders and set out to divide and conquer the Palestinians from within. Abbas became their tool and apparently he's tired of it, at least at the expense of his people. Thus the Rice rebuff.

The Bush administration reaps what it sowed for the last seven years in the Middle East. Violent division blooms like a desert rose. U.S. weapons are used by both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to perpetuate harm. When leaders chose to solve their differences using violence, their people suffer terribly.

A pox of such leaders' political houses could provide them compassion for those suffering under their ruling hand. It should start with Bush and Rice, then spread through their conservative party. In a bi-partisan group hug, the pox could spread to Democrats, currently doing their best imitation of Republicans selling out to special interests. Yes, that includes Barack Obama and his dirty water. It remains to be seen how long Mr. Obama will have to shower to remove the offal.

Why do people choose narcissists to lead their country? What is it about the election process that screens out mutual and cooperative leadership? I don't know, but that pox might clean the slate enough for such leadership to arise. One can only hope...

Conservative Democracies Can Go to War With Whoever the Hell They Want

President Bush tried to convince the world that "democracies do not attack each other," but the data doesn't support his assertions. Democratic Israel invaded democratic Lebanon during the summer of 2006. More recently, Democratic Turkey sent troops into Iraq, the Middle East's newest democracy. And in our own hemisphere, Columbia made an incursion into Ecuador. Columbia's democratic neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador took extreme offense to this violation of territorial sovereignty. The media play on this last exchange and its aftermath has been most telling.

According to the CIA Factbook Columbia, Ecuador and Venezuela are all federal republics like the United States. Each has a constitution and three branches of government. One would not know this from most media comments. President Uribe is presented as a reliable U.S. ally while Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa are called populists or leftists.

Who else has being called a populist in America's presidential primaries? Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been labelled with that moniker. Mrs. Clinton wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts on people making over $250,000 a year. That moves the marginal tax rate from 35% back to 39.6%. She wants to preserve the estate tax for estates valued at more than $7 million.

Asking people who have resources to pay for the privilege of living in America is part of our rich history. During the 20th century's major wars, the highest marginal tax rate varied between 70 and 90%. Yet, in our current war on terror tax rates are between 1/2 and 1/3 historical levels. We have a worn out military, aging infrastructure, and nearly one sixth of our citizens without health insurance. The war is financed by "off budget" appropriations estimated to reach $2-3 trillion dollars.

Meanwhile, "conservatives" call for more tax cuts for individuals and businesses, while those advocating seemingly reasonable proposals are labelled populists. Conservative democracies can attack whoever they want, whenever. The end justifies the means. But should a liberal democracy defend its territorial integrity, that will not be tolerated! Welcome to the rabbit hole...

Condi Rides in to Find Gazaization Threat

Absence of negotiations would lead to a 'Gazaization' of the West Bank, and anyone who can't see this is lying to himself."-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threw a flaming bag of poo on the White House porch, just as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice exited on her way to seal the deal on Middle East peace. Condi's eyes gazed toward the horizon, intent on achieving the elusive peace prize before Bush's term mercifully ends. She failed to note Ehud's present and planted her extremely expensive heels into the burning bag.

Her boots skid in Ehud's flaming prank. This caused Condi's feet to fly up and the Secretary of State to go ass over tea kettle. Unfortunately this is a familiar sight to people in the Middle East. Ms. Rice suffered prior pratfalls over the Hamas election victory in 2006 and Israel's invasion of its democratic neighbor to the north that same year. Who says divide and conquer via small carrots and big sticks can't be entertaining? It's only the case for those living safely far away from the Bush team's bumbling interventions. Anybody ready for more than a two day break in the violence?

Condi to Visit Bush's Middle East, Now in Pieces

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories with the Gaza Strip ablaze in violence. Over 100 Gazans have been killed since Wednesday according to the Jerusalem Post. The President of the Palestinian Authority pulled out of peace talks with Israel and violent protests over the carnage broke out in the West Bank. One protest even united rival Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah. Hamas fighters continued launching rockets into nearby Israeli cities, the reason for the Gaza razing.

Condi plans to do shuttle diplomacy in the midst of an all out war. Sound familiar? She waited nearly a month to intervene in the summer of 2006 when Israel invaded Southern Lebanon, its democratic neighbor to the north. It took the United Nations nearly 30 days to take up that invasion. The world body did a bit better this time. They passed a resolution calling for both sides to immediately stop violence. Also, the European Union condemned Israel's disproportionate use of violence in Gaza.

Bush's divide and conquer policies in the Middle East find the region splintered along numerous lines. Condi visits, purportedly to pursue peace, but it looks more like she'll just wander amongst the many pieces.

Bush Laughs at Jordanian King's Message Yet Again

While Israel escalated its attack on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas threatened to leave the negotiating table. President Bush promised to work hard on Middle East peace during his remaining year in office. Jordan's King Abdullah pleaded for our Chief Slacker to get off his kiester and do something about the rapidly deteriorating situation.

"America is the only world power capable of ensuring that the parties stay on track and on time in their current negotiations," Abdullah said."A victory by the enemies of peace, freedom, stability and moderation cannot be an option," he said. "If we miss today's opportunities, peace will be set back, perhaps for decades."

Israeli military leaders said an invasion of Gaza would lead to a Palestinian holocaust, while Abbas called the 33 deaths, 16 of them civilian, a massacre. If the parties aren't at the negotiating table, there will be no peace.

It's like the lottery, you can't win without buying a ticket. It looks like Israel wants to play scratch off with Gaza. That makes for bad odds on getting the greater prize.