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Venezuela Says Its Jets Intercepted U.S. Plane
WSJ ^ | JANUARY 9, 2010 | WSJ

Posted on 01/09/2010 5:46:54 AM PST by Brilliant

President Hugo Chávez said he ordered two F-16 jets to intercept a U.S. military plane that twice violated Venezuelan airspace on Friday in what he called the latest provocation in the South American nation's skies.

Brandishing a photo of the plane, which he described as a P-3, Mr. Chávez said the overflight was the latest incursion in Venezuelan skies by the U.S. military from its bases on the Netherlands' Caribbean islands and from neighboring Colombia.

There was no immediate response from the U.S. Defense Department or the White House...

Mr. Chávez said the F-16s escorted the U.S. plane away after two incursions lasting 15 and 19 minutes each.

The perceived threat of U.S. intervention has become a central element of Mr. Chávez's political discourse and a rallying cry for his supporters.

Foes say the president is hyping the idea of a foreign threat to distract Venezuelans from domestic problems such as a recession and inadequate public services. Mr. Chávez surprised the diplomatic world in December when he accused the Netherlands of abetting potential offensive action against his government by granting U.S. troops access to its islands close to Venezuela.

The Dutch government says the U.S. presence is only for counternarcotics and surveillance operations over Caribbean smuggling routes.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bhodod; bholatinamerica; bhowod; chavez; drugtrafficking; military; navair; obama; surveillance; venezuela; wod
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1 posted on 01/09/2010 5:46:57 AM PST by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant
The perceived threat of U.S. intervention has become a central element of Mr. Chávez's political discourse and a rallying cry for his supporters.


That kinda says it all right there.
2 posted on 01/09/2010 5:49:57 AM PST by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: Brilliant
latest incursion in Venezuelan skies by the U.S. military from its bases on the Netherlands' Caribbean islands and from neighboring Colombia.

Seem to me like he's looking for yet another reason to pick a fight with Colombia.

3 posted on 01/09/2010 5:50:54 AM PST by edpc (Those Lefties just ain't right)
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To: Brilliant

Ya think that a neighborhood bully like Hugo would have tried this with Reagan in the Whitehouse?

No way.

But Obama is the 90 lb. weakling on the beach, reading poetry and getting sand kicked in his face.


4 posted on 01/09/2010 5:51:55 AM PST by Travis McGee (---www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com---)
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To: Brilliant

Is he is worried that the P-3 might SEE something? Interesting.


5 posted on 01/09/2010 5:52:48 AM PST by southernerwithanattitude ({new and improved redneck})
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To: edpc

Men like Chavez need an external enemy to keep the focus off themselves lest the anger of the people turn in his direction.


6 posted on 01/09/2010 5:54:21 AM PST by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: Brilliant

All those who expected a swift response from the White House, raise your hands.


7 posted on 01/09/2010 5:59:13 AM PST by fatnotlazy
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To: cripplecreek
Probably doesn't help his cause when he rambles on for 8 hours in blistering heat, tormenting his audience for his show Hello, Mr. President.

From last September......

Last Sunday, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez spoke for over 8 hours, in his weekly radio and television "show" Aló, presidente (Hello, Mr. President).

Recently, the show's length has been increased in every edition, and the 8 hours set a new record. Chávez uses "Aló, presidente" to face the "empire", to plead for Latin America's unity and independence, to spread his political ideology and more recently to give details about the Constitutional reform he's currently promoting.

"We have reached 8 hours of "Aló, presidente" for the first time ever", celebrated Chávez, and was applauded by the ministers, mayors and governors present at the show.

I guess they applauded for two reasons: because they have to (Chávez isn't exactly a democratic kind of guy, you know) and because they finally could see a little light at the end of the tunnel. They were probably thinking: "After 8 hours straight, this has to be near the end, please, God".

"Thanks to you for your patience, to the special guests ", Chávez added. As if they had an option.

The president, sweating buckets, said earlier that the temperature at the place from where the show was being broad-casted (El Tablazo, in the western state of Zulia) was about 40ºC - 104ºF. Can you imagine how torturing must it be, to listen to Chávez's BS while enduring this kind of heat?

8 posted on 01/09/2010 6:07:57 AM PST by edpc (Those Lefties just ain't right)
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To: Brilliant

Chaves el Loco!


9 posted on 01/09/2010 6:10:22 AM PST by AmericanMade1776 ( Obama Happens! Not my Fault!)
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To: Alas Babylon!; American_Centurion; An.American.Expatriate; ASA.Ranger; ASA Vet; Ax; Azeem; ...

10 posted on 01/09/2010 6:19:59 AM PST by ASA Vet (Iran should have ceased to exist Nov 5, 1979, but we had no president then either.)
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To: Brilliant

This two-bit thug thinks of himself as a new Mussolini... and you can bet our two-bit thug is actually frightened of him.


11 posted on 01/09/2010 6:22:42 AM PST by theDentist (fybo; qwerty ergo typo : i type, therefore i misspelll)
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To: Brilliant

Brutal Dictator 101 - Everybody else is a threat.


12 posted on 01/09/2010 6:25:05 AM PST by ryan71 (TERM LIMITS)
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To: Brilliant

No threat from here. Obama’s destroying this country just like Chávez is destroying Venezuela


13 posted on 01/09/2010 6:31:23 AM PST by sunny48
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To: Brilliant

Did anyone hear Shep on Fox last night refer to Chavez as....”Dictator Chavez”......I mean “President Chavez”???


14 posted on 01/09/2010 6:41:05 AM PST by pockets
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To: sunny48

Imagine the stern letter Obummer would send his buddy Huey if he fired on one of our aircraft!


15 posted on 01/09/2010 6:41:40 AM PST by pistolpetestoys (Outside of a dog a book is a mans best friend;inside a dog it's too dark to read.)
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To: Brilliant

Gosh, why doesn’t obama just run right down there and have a beer summit with chavez and straighten this whole thing out.


16 posted on 01/09/2010 6:41:56 AM PST by mamelukesabre (Veni, Vidi, Vicki: "I came, I saw, and I'm like, Omigod!")
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To: Brilliant

What’s this assclown doing with F16s - also the parts to maintain them and the training to operate them?


17 posted on 01/09/2010 6:44:55 AM PST by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: pistolpetestoys

He’d probably invite him to the whitehouse for a beer so they could compare notes.


18 posted on 01/09/2010 6:45:16 AM PST by sunny48
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To: southernerwithanattitude

Is he is worried that the P-3 might SEE something? Interesting......

I think it is HEAR something....


19 posted on 01/09/2010 6:45:34 AM PST by thinking
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To: Brilliant

Won’t someone just go in there and shoot this whack job?


20 posted on 01/09/2010 6:54:16 AM PST by Focault's Pendulum (This country elected an empty suit, an absolute economic illiterate!!!)
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