Free Republic

05/21/2007 ET Congressional Democrats are taking aim at the decade-old alliance between the United States and Colombia, Washington's staunchest ally in Latin America. For sheer strategic myopia, it would be hard to beat this act of folly. Even as much of Latin America moves left, Colombia's commendably democratic government continues to share the core U.S. values in the region - fighting terrorism, combating drug trafficking and liberalizing trade. Compare that agenda with the yanqui-bashing alliance pursued by Colombia's neighbor and rival, Venezuela, under leftist demagogue Hugo Chavez. While Chavez makes common cause with the Castro brothers in Cuba and courts...

President George W Bush welcomes Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe to his ranch in Texas, they went for a drive, held a private meeting, and then held a joint press conference. After lunch they spent the afternoon discussing regional security and diplomatic issues. Further background can be found at President Alvaro visits Crawford Vice President Dick Cheney is leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to King Fahd (no photos or report to be found almost as if there is a media black out on this). This is strange in 2 respects one no photos and that all reports...

A dialogue between two important members of the FARC (Colombian revolutionary Armed Forces), appears to be among the evidence submitted by the Colombian authorities to the Venezuelan Government according to Colombia’s Radio Caracol. Here is the translation of the only written report I have seen on the issue, which suggests that more than one hundred members of the FARC guerillas were in Caracas in early December for the II People’s Bolivarian Congress, financed and organized by the Chavez Government.. I had talked to two reporters who had mentioned this to me, but said they could not talk about it and...