A smashing diplomatic victory for Hugo Chavez; JuanMa Santos delivers a big kick in the collectice asses of hil/obama/DOJ/connie mack.
It was expected, but still it is a mild surprise that the WSJ calls it "a major diplomatic victory" for Chavez and "a major setback" for the hil/obama administration. Then it spins on what an evil guy Makled is.
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BOGOTA-- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez clinched a major diplomatic victory over the U.S. after the Colombian government confirmed that it will extradite Walid Makled to Caracas instead of the U.S.
The White House has tagged Mr. Makled, a Venezuelan national now being held in a jailhouse near Bogota, one of the world's top drug lords.
The decision, announced Wednesday by Colombian Interior Minister German Vargas Lleras, could represent a major setback for Washington's anti-narcotics efforts in the region since U.S. officials are likely to have limited access to a treasure trove of information on suspected drug-running networks in Venezuela.
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Despite the clear signals from Bogota that Mr. Makled would be shipped to Venezuela, the extradition became a high-stakes tug-of-war. U.S. congressmen such as Connie Mack (R., Fla.) pressured Mr. Santos to send Mr. Makled to the U.S. just as Colombia and the White House moved to revive a stalled free-trade agreement.
The decision also represents a rare disagreement in Colombia's close diplomatic relations with Washington, which has helped finance Colombia's crackdown on narcotrafficking and Marxist guerrillas to the tune of $6 billion over the last nine years.
But sending Mr. Makled to Venezuela became a necessity for Mr. Santos as he shores up commercial and diplomatic ties with Venzuelan President Hugo Chavez.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730104576261503864204500.html