Chavez sends tanks to Colombia border in dispute

[Attero Dominatus]

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela President Hugo Chavez ordered tank battalions to the Colombian border on Sunday after Colombian troops struck inside another of its neighbors, Ecuador, in an attack on rebels.

He also ordered the shutting of Venezuela's embassy in Colombia and the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff in the dispute, warning Colombia's actions could spark a war in South America.

(Reporting by Saul Hudson, editing by Philip Barbara)

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN0227633020080302?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

SOB is using the strikes against FARC as an excuse to attack Columbia.

http://www.conservativescave.com/index.php?topic=3511.0

[Chris_]

Do you think Hugo is planning a South-American "march into Poland"?

[Attero Dominatus]

Chavez Closes Venezuela's Embassy in Colombia; Orders Troops to Colombia Border

CARACAS, Venezuela  —  President Hugo Chavez ordered Venezuela's embassy in Colombia closed and sent thousands of troops to the countries' border Sunday after Colombia's military killed a top rebel leader.

Chavez told his defense minister: "move 10 battalions to the border with Colombia for me, immediately." He ordered the Venezuelan Embassy in Bogota closed and said all embassy personnel would be withdrawn.

The announcements by Venezuela's leftist leader pushed relations to their tensest point of his nine-year presidency, and Chavez warned that Colombia could spark a war in South America. He called the U.S.-allied government in Bogota "a terrorist state" and labelled President Alvaro Uribe "a criminal."

Chavez condemned Colombia's slaying of senior rebel commander Raul Reyes and 16 other guerrillas on Saturday, saying they were killed while they slept in a camp across the border in Ecuadorean territory.

He said Colombia "invaded Ecuador, flagrantly violated Ecuador's sovereignty."

"It wasn't any combat. It was a cowardly murder, all of it coldly calculated," Chavez said on his weekly TV and radio program, "Hello, President."

"We pay tribute to a true revolutionary, who was Raul Reyes," Chavez said, recalling that he had met rebel in Brazil in 1995 and calling him a "good revolutionary."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334409,00.html

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Do you think Hugo is planning a South-American "march into Poland"?

Absolutely.

He could claim large swaths of Columbian territory and minus US military intervention, Columbia wouldn't be able to do a damned thing about it.

Chavez likes shooting his mouth off because it jacks oil prices and that translates to big profits for his socialist revolution (and a 10-rating on the ideological irony scale). Yet, domestic troubles or a called bluff from a fed-up neighbor are all it takes to make it a real war.

[BlueStateSaint]

I duped this.  Whoops!

Yeah, the Tin Pot in South America is feeling neglected, methinks.

[DumbAss Tanker]

I hope we have a mutual defense pact with Colombia.

 

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

hotair.com opines:

The move threatens to bring the US into open conflict with Chavez for the first time. We have allied ourselves with the Colombian government to eradicate narco-traffickers as well as to help them eliminate the threat from FARC. The terrorist group still holds Americans, having kidnapped them years ago after a plane crash in territory under their control.

We saw a hint of this six weeks ago. Chavez demanded that Latin American nations recognize FARC (as well as a few other terrorist groups) as “legitimate armies” despite their track record of kidnapping and drug trafficking. As the Washington Post noted, even allies of Chavez balked at that notion. Now it looks as though Chavez will take Venezuela to war to support these terrorists, hoping to undermine President Alvaro Uribe and the democratic government in Colombia.

He’s taking his first steps to making himself a menace to the entire hemisphere rather than just to the Venezuelans.

If those battalions move across the border, Chavez had better expect a volley of cruise missiles at his command and control centers. The US will not allow Chavez to topple the elected government in Colombia. It would probably provide the only possible reason Washington would use military force against Chavez, and even this skeptical Congress would have little choice but to support the defense of an American ally under attack from a hostile nation.

I'm not sure Chavez is willing to test too much by crossing the border.

The one MAIN variable is congress--our very liberal congress beholden to the Code: Pinko types. If Chavez feels the congress will not allow Bush a new war he has nothing to lose trying. He's definitely watching CNN right now waiting to see what the dems say about this. He may even push a bit more just to see.

If nothing happens he will be emboldened. To bolster FARC, snatch them a safe haven under his protection and boost his anti-US credentials must be stronger narcotics than the coco leaves he chews. I think the greatest deterent to open war would be the dems telling him the US will defend Columbian territory.

But then that becomes a propaganda coup for him unless the international community tells him, "ditto, bitch."

[Lord Undies]

hotair.com opines:

The move threatens to bring the US into open conflict with Chavez for the first time. We have allied ourselves with the Colombian government to eradicate narco-traffickers as well as to help them eliminate the threat from FARC. The terrorist group still holds Americans, having kidnapped them years ago after a plane crash in territory under their control.

We saw a hint of this six weeks ago. Chavez demanded that Latin American nations recognize FARC (as well as a few other terrorist groups) as “legitimate armies” despite their track record of kidnapping and drug trafficking. As the Washington Post noted, even allies of Chavez balked at that notion. Now it looks as though Chavez will take Venezuela to war to support these terrorists, hoping to undermine President Alvaro Uribe and the democratic government in Colombia.

He’s taking his first steps to making himself a menace to the entire hemisphere rather than just to the Venezuelans.

If those battalions move across the border, Chavez had better expect a volley of cruise missiles at his command and control centers. The US will not allow Chavez to topple the elected government in Colombia. It would probably provide the only possible reason Washington would use military force against Chavez, and even this skeptical Congress would have little choice but to support the defense of an American ally under attack from a hostile nation.

I'm not sure Chavez is willing to test too much by crossing the border.

The one MAIN variable is congress--our very liberal congress beholden to the Code: Pinko types. If Chavez feels the congress will not allow Bush a new war he has nothing to lose trying. He's definitely watching CNN right now waiting to see what the dems say about this. He may even push a bit more just to see.

If nothing happens he will be emboldened. To bolster FARC, snatch them a safe haven under his protection and boost his anti-US credentials must be stronger narcotics than the coco leaves he chews. I think the greatest deterent to open war would be the dems telling him the US will defend Columbian territory.

But then that becomes a propaganda coup for him unless the international community tells him, "ditto, bitch."

The President doesn't need approval by congress in a military emergency.  I will have to do some research, but I understand we do have a pact to aid Columbia in case of outside aggression.  This would leave me believing Chavez is attempting to manipulate oil futures. 

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Oh, to be sure I'm the first to advocate Art 1 privileges of the president, but Chavez--like all US enemies--naturally looks to the liberal elite to give them vitories they are too powerless to acquire on their own.

I too believe we have pacts with Columbia...and certainly enough invested viz-a-viz business and national security.

I want to think Chavez is just spooking oil futures but as I noted earlier in the thread, calling his bluff or an internal event could bump this across the border.

[Airwolf]

I was wondering. If Hugo decieds he wanrs to start some action down there whats going to0 happen to the DUmps cocain supply? I mean the prices will just shoot through the roof. Hald of Hollywoods going to need an airlift.

[DumbAss Tanker]

The President has a very free hand for immediate contingency response, it gets complicated after awhile (180 days IIRC) due to the so-called War Powers Resolution (Which technically the Executive Branch recognizes as a Joint Resolution, not an actual law, though so far they have always complied with it to prevent forcing the issue in the Courts...saving that issue as a hole card for the one time they really, really need it).