New WikiLeaks cable reveals US embassy strategy to destabilize Chavez government

[bananas]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by NancyBlueINOklahoma (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Russia Today

In a secret US cable published online by WikiLeaks, former ambassador to Venezuela, William Brownfield, outlines a comprehensive plan to infiltrate and destabilize former President Hugo Chavez' government.

Dispatched in November of 2006 by Brownfield -- now an Assistant Secretary of State -- the document outlined his embassy’s five core objectives in Venezuela since 2004, which included: “penetrating Chavez’ political base,” “dividing Chavismo,” “protecting vital US business” and “isolating Chavez internationally.”

The memo, which appears to be totally un-redacted, is plain in its language of involvement in these core objectives by the US embassy, as well as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), two of the most prestigious agencies working abroad on behalf of the US.

According to Brownfield, who prepared the cable specifically for US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the “majority” of both USAID and OTI activities in Venezuela were concerned with assisting the embassy in accomplishing its core objectives of infiltrating and subduing Chavez’ political party:

<snip>

Read more: http://rt.com/news/wikileaks-venezuela-us-chavez-358/

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Full copy of memo here: http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=06CARACAS3356&version=1314919461

Via http://www.democraticunderground.com/110812229

[jerseyjack]

1. Reminds me of the song,. "I;m Proud To Be An American."

[fasttense]

2. Just think what they could have done

if they had worked with Chavez instead of trying to undermine him. What a waste of our US tax dollars.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. No mention of poisoning, a cancer virus, or a heart attack gun?

[Comrade_McKenzie]

4. When the oil funding everything dries up, things will destabilize on their own. nt

[ucrdem]

5. Cable time - Thu, 9 Nov 2006

Nine years ago is not exactly new, and neither Wikileaks nor RT bother to mention that this is an artifact of the Bush state department, headed in 2006 by Condoleeza Rice. But they do make it clear that the cable writer is highly placed in the Obama administration:

Dispatched in November of 2006 by Brownfield -- now an Assistant Secretary of State

Pinning Bush initiatives on Obama at potentially damaging moments like this, when he is trying to establish relations with the new Madura govt., is something Wikileaks is very good at.

[Arctic Dave]

7. Obama has not changed course from the bush initiatives so don't try to blame him.

As the coup in Hunduras proved, Obama doesn't really care for the elected governments of South and Central America.

Obama is still funding police death squads. Obama hasn't deactivated the 4th Fleet. Obama is still giving military "aid" to countries with human rights abuses.


So, yeah. Obama is just as guilty as bush.

[ucrdem]

8. Chavez to Obama: I'd vote for you, and you for me

Sun Sep 30, 2012 By Helen Murphy

CARACAS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - With both presidents facing tight re-election fights, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez gave a surprise endorsement to Barack Obama on Sunday - and said the U.S. leader no doubt felt the same.

"I hope this doesn't harm Obama, but if I was from the United States, I'd vote for Obama," the socialist Chavez said of a man he first reached out to in 2009 but to whom he has since generally been insulting.

Chavez is running for a new six-year term against opposition challenger Henrique Capriles, while Obama seeks re-election in November against Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Venezuela's election is next weekend.

"Obama is a good guy ... I think that if Obama was from Barlovento or some Caracas neighborhood, he'd vote for Chavez," the president told state TV, referring to a poor coastal town known for the African roots of its population

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/30/venezuela-election-obama-idUSL1E8KU37A20120930

..........................

I don't recall Chavez ever endorsing George Bush, and while it's true that he was often critical of the Obama administration, at the end of the day I don't think he would have agreed with your claim that "Obama is just as guilty as bush."

[Arctic Dave]

9. Chavez always reached out to Obama, that's why he is the more gracious man.

However, since Obama was elected all he did is snub Chavez until his death. Then gave their country nothing more then a half ass statement after he died.

As I posted earlier, Obama just carries on the bush legacy in SA and CA.

[polly7]

10. You're right, and that was very sad to see. nt.

[ucrdem]

11. Possibly but can we agree that "Obama is just as guilty as bush"

is an overstatement? Honduras: it's true that Zelaya was abducted on Obama's watch but he'd only been in office for six months and judging from detailed accounts of the Bay of Pigs the likelihood is that the operation was planned by the Bush admin and handed to Obama as a fait accompli.

So I'll agree that Obama initially carried out foreign policy initiatives of the previous admin while he was developing his own, but the current administration is a far cry from 2006.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. No, we cannot agree.

Obama had every chance to pursue a different relationship with Chavez and Venezuela with his first term and he refused to. And, on issues other than LGBT, Obama has continued or expanded on some of the worst of the Bush policies. That is reality.

[Arctic Dave]

13. Does it matter who sponsored the coup?

If you go along with it then are you not as guilty. Has this administration taken ANY action to condemn the illegal government and the lawlessness that has followed?

Driving the get away car from an armed robbery doesn't make you innocent of the crime.

[Arctic Dave]

6. I don't think they could have been any more obvious.

As for USAID and OTI, they have been worthless for years. They have been nothing more then fronts for these type of operations since their beginings.

On another note:

There a couple of sock puppets on this website that can be completely ignored now. If not outright banned.


Good gravy, my government sucks balls.

[struggle4progress]

14. Not LBN: the cable was published 1 Sep 2011

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 23:24: Original unredacted version published, with HTML goodies

[OKNancy]

15. Locking - doesn't meet LBN SOP