Posted on 01/03/2008 5:35:19 PM PST by HAL9000
Excerpt -
CARACAS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Venezuelan helicopters chugged home empty from Colombia on Thursday after a failed mission to pick up hostages held by Marxist guerrillas, a new defeat for President Hugo Chavez who is still smarting from a tough year.The four helicopters marked with Red Cross symbols flew back to Venezuela from the Colombian town of Villavicencio without the hostages they had left to collect from a jungle region.
After several diplomatic spats and a sobering defeat in a referendum on whether he be allowed to run for reelection indefinitely, the leftist Chavez nearly ended 2007 on a high note, drawing widespread praise for brokering the deal to free two women and a child from secret rebel camps.
But the plan collapsed on Monday, leaving Chavez exposed to criticism he had trusted the rebels too much.
"President Chavez is having a very difficult time," said Eduardo Gamarra, a Latin America expert at Florida International University. "He may have compromised his own credibility and the FARC may have taken him for a ride.
~ snip ~
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
Venezuela is being held hostage by a Marxist gorilla.
Shades of his buddy Jimmy Carter.
Well, I’m sorry to hear the Marxists still have the hostages. Pity that. I can’t help but wonder if the bully-boy tipped them off.
Monkey man needs to be put in a zoo.
First thing I thought...
Hugo got FARC’ed bigtime.
Good thing he had Oliver Stone helping him ...
Heeeeeyyy, FARC that Hugo.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.