Robert D. Novak: Sandinistas get another useful idiot

Two snips from Michael Barone:

1.) His victory should not be seen as a victory or a defeat for the United States but as the continuation of a stable government that has often taken a constructive role in international affairs.

2) And he carried tiny Roraima, in the Amazon basin up on the Venezuelan border, with 61 percent. An anti-Hugo Chávez vote, perhaps?

....Novak's criticisms are more than justified here. If Ortega is elected....

Anybody know Amb. Trivelli's story? He doesn't seem a standard issue, SD left-wing career cookie-pusher.

Upside Down World - US Government Working to Prevent Ortega ...Reuters reported that U.S. envoy Paul Trivelli is lobbying right-wing parties to join forces and pick a single candidate to represent them in the election, ... upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/266/1/ - 30k

What is going on is really bad stuff. North has some misguided ideas about Nicaragua, straight out of the 1980s and he's trying to fix things, but in reality he's blowing it so bad Daniel Ortega is going to be the winner. Now he's spread his ideas to Novak - he has employees who are real close to Novak and Novak is eating it up, showing how badly he is out of the loop as to what is really happening.

The whole thing pains me, believe me, I like all of the people here but North and Novak are wrong.

The chief error in Novak's column is that Rizo is ahead - fact: he is behind and that is why North went to shore up his chances. Montealegre was the frontrunner and should be the one to take down Ortega. But instead, thanks to North, it's a three-way race and Ortega is in the lead and he could walk away with the presidency, all due to North's meddling. It makes me sick. But it is true.

It is NEVER a good idea to meddle in a foreign election. North is loved in Nicaragua and his influence and campaigning for the otherwise floundering Rizo is likely to get him votes - at Montealegre's expense. That will leave foul Daniel Ortega the winner.

The whole thing freaks me out. North, being North, probably thinks he can turn the whole thing around in Rizo's favor. But he can't, not at this late date, all he can do is steal votes from Montealegre.

So, an election that would have gone in the center-right direction will instead go in the Chavista left direction, leaving Ronald Reagan spinning in his grave along with all the souls of the Contra freedom fighters who died in the 80s to keep Nicaragua free and uncommunist and all those from the U.S. who died helping them.

This is a GIGANTIC nightmare and North will be responsible for it, sad to say. I love North but he is making the biggest mistake of his life.

Check out my other comments - you are missing some critical details. NOrth is in the wrong here. Nicaraguans right now should be walking on broken glass to elect ANYTHING but slimey Ortega. A split vote is a nightmare for us and triumph for Ortega. Novak gets it wrong when he says Rizo is ahead and the Evil State Dept is flipping that. State has stayed out of all elections and I know for a fact that they didn't bully anyone or play favorites - it has been that way in all the elections in Latam this year. Novak is transmitting some bad info about State which isn't fair. If Daniel Ortega walks off with the presidency, North and Novak will be to blame. Horribly enough.

There are two mistakes to relate here. The first is that the State Department did not stay out of the campaign, it appears I'm going to disagree with you here, and has in fact supported Montealegre over Rizo, as the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa pointed out in a recent editorial I cannot find right now -- maybe I should do some translating work on this over the next couple of days? -- but let me give you one quick quote from Rizo's vice-presidential candidate Jose Antonio Alvarado yesterday on Montealegre (2nd to last paragraph):

. . . Every time that he has problems, Montealegre leaves (Paul) Trivelli to speak for him or they take a new poll. I am sure that Montealegre is paying these polls (so that the speak well of him)," denounced the ex political enemy of Arnoldo Aleman [i.e. Alvarado] . . ."

It's not by accident that Rizo's campaign is taking this attitude. A couple of days ago Nicaraguan businessmen met to discuss the presidential campaign and, with Paul Trivelli in attendance and participating in their forum, they announced that Montealgre's party's platform was superior. (And for good reason I might add privately since Montealegre is the only Nicaraguan candidate who understands trade.) But the evidence that Trivelli has played favorites is from the Nicaraguan viewpoint, and that is the only viewpoint that matters here, overwhelming. That is the first mistake.

North's mistake is attempting to go down to Nicaragua and insert himself in any way. I haven't seen any polls to support what I'm about to say, but I have got to believe that there are some FSLN fence-sitters who are going to make up their minds to vote for Ortega simply because Ollie North showed up. And I don't see any positive good coming out of his trip to offset this hypothetical movement I postulate either.

I think I need to produce more in the way of proof from the Nicaraguan end than I've submitted here to make my points convincing. I'll see if I can come up with something tomorrow. I just did a quick web search and grabbed the first two articles I found. But I did read a La Prensa editorial a few days ago that made the point a little more forcefully. Maybe I can find it or something of equal substance to bring to the table here. I respect your opinions too much Kitten to simply believe I've settled this issue here. I'll try to get more to you.

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