The Chavez-Obama Book Club
Taking advantage of Obama’s naivete and burst of warm camaraderie, Hugo Chavez handed him a copy of Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, which Obama graciously accepted.
That’s somewhat the propaganda equivalent of the Israeli Prime Minister meeting with the Palestinian President in the West Bank and being given a copy of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”—and graciously accepting it.
Once again, we have the “either-or” question: either Obama is abysmally ignorant of what the book is and what his acceptance of it signifies, or he knows and doesn’t care, or he knows and embraces the “blame the imperialist US for all of Latin America’s woes” philosophy the book promotes.
You can bet that Chavez, at least, is well aware of the propaganda coup he has scored. And not only that, it was a great advertisement for the book itself, which has subsequently soared to number two on Amazon.
Chavez is pleased as punch, and thinks his new-found friend and he should become a sort of “Oprah’s Book Club of the Americas:”
So I said, ‘Obama, let’s go into a business,'” Chavez told reporters at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. “We’ll promote books – I’ll give you one, you give me another.”
Hope. Change. Ain’t it great?
Maybe Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, and Friedrich Hayek can be the next selections, especially for those two.
I read a report earlier that the book has climbed the charts on Amazon.com.
My book suggestion.
THE ROAD TO SERFDOM
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You’re being too harsh on Obama. He just needs his handlers to frame the point in terms he can relate to.
“Barack, it’s like when you were on Crips’ turf, you didn’t accept clothing gifts in Bloods’ colors, right? Well, this is kinda like that. When snogging with vicious Latin dictators, please try not to accept books on the theme of ‘kill the Americans’, OK? We have to put in overtime on the phone sending out marching orders to the NYT, WaPo, CNN, and MSNBC to convince the rubes that we’re not anti-American, at least as far as they know. ‘Preciate it.”
he is aware…
its now tops on the amazon book ratings..
so now, because of obama accepting that book (and the other one he was caught reading i sent by mail to you), everyone will read those books.
heck, all he has to do is perhaps walk around with a book and voila, everyone will read carfully prepared propagandic pieces that would never fly here, but now as major books…
I haven’t read the book. But I was listening to Tom Sullivan talk about the book with readers of the book.
The book talks about using Natural Resources in Latin America and asks the question if you believe America is an emperialist nation and are you ok with that?
The book does NOT talk about all of the medical aid, humanitarian assistance and dollars given as well as food or any good that we do. Is the book balanced? No.
That means to me that the book needs the press to step up to the plate and do it’s job in this time MORE THAN EVER!
either Obama is abysmally ignorant of what the book is and what his acceptance of it signifies, or he knows and doesn’t care, or he knows and embraces the “blame the imperialist US for all of Latin America’s woes” philosophy the book promotes.
“One of the benefits of my campaign and how I’ve been trying to operate as president is I don’t worry about the politics–I try to figure out what’s right in terms of American interests, and on this one I think I’m right.” Obama
At his news conference Obama said he didn’t think he did much damage to U.S. security or interests by shaking the hand of Chavez, whose country has a defense budget about one-six hundredth the size of the United States, and depends upon it’s oil reserves for solvency.
But beyond specific attacks on his new foreign policy are the deeper philosophical challenges emerging from the still powerful, if diminished, conservative political structure in the United States. Such opponents can play havoc with Obama’s attempts to change domestic policy and will work to weaken his 60-plus percent approval among Americans.
ack.. forgot to add..
he is the kind of person who doesnt think what he does is what others think it is.
so it isnt what it is, its what he thinks it is, even if the world crumbles around him.
that is if you explain to him why humans do the things they did in state for a thousand plus years, like a liberal air head, he will say, well i dont think things work like that.. with no basis for it other than personal beliefs.
so we now know we ahve a president who if the world thinks something is really really bad, and he doesnt, NOTHING WILL STOP HIM… not even the possibility of being wrong.
and he will drive off the cliff to prove himself right, even if he is wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God has stole the handle
and the train it wont stop
going no it cant slow down.
they have already shown were we are going. they are getting paranoid of tea parties, and using homeland security, ex military are right wing extremists, etc.
and this is the first 100 days… by day 600…
well, lack of anything working will have him crying to destroy moriarty…
chavez, and these others he is cosying up to, will help him keep power as he moves like this. but chavez is stupid… because he doesnt see what russia sees. which is an amoral US to deal with.
When I read that Chavez had pressed a book into Obama’s clueless hands, I knew before finishing the sentence that it would be Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America and it was.
Open Veins is a classic of radical anti-West, anti-American political literature. It’s been around since the Seventies. I remember radicals reading it in the Eighties. Obama knows this book.
It’s the same as if Chavez gave Obama a book by Noam Chomsky. But Chavez has already boosted Chomsky’s Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance at the UN and sent that book to the top of the Amazon bestseller list.
The ‘0’ is not I suspect ignorant of what the book Chavez gave him was, nor was he unable to understand what Ortega’s close to an hour rant was either. Basically he agrees with them.
That’s why he will oppose the Columbian free trade agreement. Which amounts to a slap in the face to one of our staunchest allies in South America.
But why should we be surprised, when captured documents show Venezuela’s aid to FARC factions fighting in Columbia.
A communist thug trying to subvert a democratically elected regime. What better ally for Obama could there be. My disgust for Obama grows daily.
and the spanish news coverage of long private talk… so it was not just a handshake and book club meeting.
http://www.youtube.com/v/ChlWIJOEu2w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0
meanwhile, isreal reminds rahm that he is jewish on holocaust rememberance day…
Well, he thinks it’s funny now, but he won’t when Michelle wants him to talk dirty to her in Spanish.
Well Gordon Brown gave Obama these
There was a first edition of Sir Martin Gilbert’s authorized biography of Churchill, all seven volumes of it, so a bit of the Churchill touch endures in the White House on British insistence. There was a framed commissioning paper for HMS Resolute, rescued by an American whaler in 1856; part of HMS Resolute was later made into the desk presented by Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880, and used by American presidents to this day.
And then there was the third present. As Reuters reports it, the gift was:
a pen holder fashioned from the timber of HMS Gannet, a sister ship of the Resolute that also served for a time on anti-slavery missions off Africa.
and Barack gave him a set of 25 DVDs that weren’t even in the correct format to be played on DVD players in England.
Now in keeping with this type of give and take if Chavez gave him a book then Obama probably should have given him a paddle ball game like this one from the great scene in “Blazing Saddles”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnLMAT5UCt0
Dane, could’ve been worse. He could’ve given Gordon Brown a boxed set of Solid Gold DVDs.
God bless whoever dissuaded him from that.
Basically, what little Galeano accurately describes is decades out of date. Here is what I recommend reading.
From the Central American Crisis Reader, one can learn that the Sandinistas and the USSR issued a joint proclomation in March 1980.
This when Carter was trying to establish a good relationship with the Sandinistas. Danny Boy is the one who should be apolgizing to us.
I highly recommend Carlos Rangel’s The Latin Americans: Their Love-Hate Relationship with the United States. The late Mr. Rangel was a Venezuelan journalist who in contrast with Chavez, actually knew what he was talking about. I read the book in the original Spanish version when I worked in Venezuela. The book went a long way in describing why the “progessive” catachism about Latin America I had absorbed at university did not fit what I had observed on the ground in Latin America.
The following book is only in Spanish and is hard to find, but it influenced me greatly.my title
In De Polonia a Nicaragua, a book found only in Spanish and in little quantitiy, Polish author Robert Czarkowski describes his nearly six months in a Nicaraguan prison circa 1982. He was arrested while legally entering Nicaragua, on suspicion of belonging to Solidarity.
Here is some more reading for Obama, and anyone else , for that matter. Here is the “Declaration of the Breakdown of Chile’s Democracy.” An excerpt follows.
This passed by an 81-47 vote, a commanding 63% majority, three weeks before the coup against Allende. Allende considered the Declaration an invitation to a coup, and he was correct.
The democratically elected members of the House of Deputies would not have passed such a strongly-worded resolution by a commanding 63- 37% majority if their constituents, the Chilean people, were not also disgusted with the Allende government’s repeated violations of law and democratic procedure. Allende himself considered the Resolution an invitation to a coup. Tragedies such as the fall of democracy in Chile are not composed of cardboard cut-outs.
For those who consider Allende to have been committed to democracy, consider these Allende quotes from Georgie Ann Geyer’s autobiography, Buying the Night Flight
How many democrats think a one-party state will be good for a country? Just wondering.
The lefties think they are SOOO knolwedgeable about Latin America, but in reality, their knowledge is usually limited to the recitation of a catechism.
If Obama consorts with the Castros, he might be interested in the following statistic. Current: Cuba’s life expectancy is 5 years above that of Latin America. That would indicate that Castro has done a good job of stewardship for the people of Cuba, no? Consider this . In 1960, a statistic which would reflect pre-Castro Cuba more than the year that Castro had been in power, Cuba’s life expectancy was 8 years above that of Latin America.Stewardship, anyone?
It’s strategy .. be patient .. it’s winning the moderates around the world. If someone tries to leap on America the administration will pitchfork ’em in mid air … and the world knows it. America is refilling it’s veins with iron-rich oxygenated blood.
… question is … is he emboldening the moderates or the extremist, in other words and in the same order, our liberal allies or our faith-based enemies, he damn well better not betray out allies abroad.
“”it’s winning the moderates around the world.
nyomythus””
The richest guy on my block could win me over too if he decided it was unfair he had more than i did. I’d think he was very cool and a reasonable fellow as a matter of fact.
Of course behind his back i’d think he was a frickin moron ripe for the picking.
America is refilling it’s veins with iron-rich oxygenated blood.
??
I guess the theory is that America is truly the source of much or most of the evil in the world and if Obama apologizes hard enough for that — mind you, it’s nothing he is responsible for — then people all over the world, moderates anyway, will love America again which will restore our national blood, depleted of oxygen by past presidential administrations, especially the Bush administration.
Well, it’s an interesting theory, I suppose. Not that I agree with it in most respects, but it is something that most liberals take to heart. So, like it or not, we are going to find out how well this approach of Obama as apologizer-in-chief works.
The irony of the strawman is that it is close to the opposite of the truth. For its entire history, the US has led the world in citizens questioning the decisions of its government. Yet the myth persists that we are somehow unusually blind compared to other nations. I defy the author to identify a group of Americans who fit his description; I, on the other hand, can easily describe many who fit the opposite.
It is a totalitarian mindset. To simply be the nation most open to criticism of itself in the history of the world is not enough. We must embrace nothing but criticism of ourselves.
AVI,
Very good point
he damn well better not betray out allies abroad.
He just spent days betraying us abroad, you nitwit!
That’s not betrayal, that’s diplomacy, you nitwit.
I am unable to express how distressed I am with the Obama presidency and the liberal almost unfettered Democratic congress. I truly believe they are ruining our country. I can’t keep up with each day’s silliness and naivete…or even worse, implementation of a plan to turn the USA into a socialist country.
I am a Texan and thoughts of secession had run through my head even before Gov. Perry’s recent statement. If a realistic possibility of secession were available, I’d give it serious consideration.
Why wouldn’t it be a great deal for Texas? We wouldn’t have to have a defence budget…the USA would handle that for us. We might be able to apply for foreign aid from the USA. We produce lots of oil here, so we’d be in OPEC and the USA would have to suck up to us. President Obama would come here, kiss our president’s you-know-what, apologize for all the wrong the USA has done Texans in the past and apologize for the fact that the USA elected Bush in 2004.
I’m only being sarcastic, of course…I really wouldn’t do it…for now. But I am VERY angry with what is going on.
What about “betrayed in a diplomatic manner?”
As someone who has extensive practical and book knowledge of Latin America, I find it absurd the notion that in the year 2009 the United States needs to apologize for its actions in Latin America. Especially when we are talking about lying tyrants like Thugo, Danny Boy, and Fidel Junior. Look at my links.
I would love to debate Obama on this issue, as I have forgotten much more about Latin America than he has ever learned. If he wants, I can debate him in Spanish. ¿Me entendés?
For which we received …uh….uh….
We’d have been better off if Barack had stayed home and shot baskets. Better to keep a low profile and let people wonder if you’re weak and none-too-bright, or get out in public and remove all doubt.
Equating Open Veins with the Protocols reveals an abysmal ignorance. Have you even read the book in question? Could you give some examples of things in the book you disagree with? For example, do you disagree that military leaders of Brazil signed agreements which allowed US companies to export iron ore freely without paying significant compensation to Brazil, probably in return for bribes? Or do you disagree with the idea that there has been a European genocide against native Americans?
1. huxley Says:
April 21st, 2009 at 9:15 am
“I guess the theory is that America is truly the source of much or most of the evil in the world and if Obama apologizes hard enough for that – mind you, it’s nothing he is responsible for – then people all over the world, moderates anyway, will love America again”
There is also an element of how Obama deals with domestic disagreement. He stands there, listens to conservatives, tells them he understands what they’re saying and will think about it, and then he leaves and does what he was going to do before talking to them.
It’s worked well for him in the US… maybe he thinks it can work internationally.
Anyway, if so it’s a bad plan. Despite hyperbole, US domestic politics is not as serious… Ortega, Chavez, and Middle Eastern dictators hate us and won’t be swayed by him. Also, even on the domestic scene, his song and dance is wearing thin / people catch on eventually that you’re not really changing / listening / meeting in the middle… So even in softer domestic politics, its not really a viable solution to conflict.
Or do you disagree with the idea that there has been a European genocide against native Americans?
I do. Most native Americans who died during that time died of disease. In any event it’s a long debate:
Therefore, nearly all mainstream scholars tend not to use the term “genocide” to describe the overall depopulation of American natives. However, a number of historians, rather than seeing the whole history of European colonization as one long act of genocide, do cite specific wars and campaigns which were arguably genocidal in intent and effect. Usually included among these are the Pequot War (1637) and campaigns waged against tribes in California starting in the 1850s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_American_indigenous_peoples#Genocide_debate
As someone who has extensive practical and book knowledge of Latin America, I find it absurd the notion that in the year 2009 the United States needs to apologize for its actions in Latin America.
Gringo — I did look at your posts and links. The Allende information I found especially interesting. Thanks.
If someone tries to leap on America the administration will pitchfork ‘em in mid air
It’s kind of funny to see what the Obama followers still talk about.
Funny in a very tragic sense.
Steve White wrote this phrase.
“A nation that knows in its bones that it is unworthy of loyalty will find treason of no real importance”.
Rick,
Were there any positives? Is the book balanced or does it give negatives only?
Your answer will display more about you. 🙂
BTW, Were any Brazilians employed? 😉
I don’t think it’s an either/or question. For one thing the US certainly isn’t lily white when it comes to our dealings with our neighbors. But the main point is that Obama seems to me to be taking American foriegn policy into a new and positive direction. I think he recognizes that the old US dominated world order no longer works and is trying to be more open and accessible. The idea being that if we listen to them they will listen to us. This is an idea worth pursuing. Of course if you give some nations too much rope you have to be willing to jerk it at the right time when necessary. We don’t know how Obama will be when faced with that situation. And although I for the most part approve of his foriegn policy overtures I do not like his budget which is inflationary. Being on a fixed income makes me particularily nervous in that respect.
The idea being that if we listen to them they will listen to us. This is an idea worth pursuing.
Since Obama told Republicans not to listen to Rush, obviously Obama is a hypocrite. Or his supporters are. One or the other.
The select and elite get to be listened to, everybody else does not count. This is better than the “old US dominated world order”? I think not.
The idea being that if we listen to them they will listen to us. This is an idea worth pursuing.
Anyone who has makes this statement obviously knows nothing whatsoever about Thugo Chavez, who never met a shut mouth he didn’t like. Thugo’s M.O. is: Thugo talks, YOU LISTEN. Here is an opportunity for you to listen to Thugo.
Also note that like Thugo, neither Fidel Junior nor Danny Boy are inclined to listen to people inside their own countries.
Listen to Thugo enunciateYanqui de Mierda. Shitty Yankee. BTW, this outburst had nothing to do with anything that occurred in Venezuela, but in Bolivia. ( In spite of his red shirt, I doubt that Thugo is a Red Sox fan.)
BTW, if you do not like my calling him Thugo, I would suggest that you read and hear as much about Thugo as I have. I highly recommend the following blogs: Devil’s Excrement, Daniel- Venezuela ( Venezuela News and Views), Caracas Chronicles.
Here is a Google Books Link for Carlos Rangel’s book : The Latin Americans: Their Love-Hate Relationship With the United States. ( Originally published in Spanish as Del Buen Salvaje al Buen Revolucionario: From the Good Savage to the Good Revolutionary. This is the copy I have.)
http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search can also be used.
Let us add some nuance to Obama’s time in Port of Spain.
This time, Obama apparently did the right thing.
Martin wrote, “But the main point is that Obama seems to me to be taking American foriegn policy into a new and positive direction.”
That is an opinion that could be held. But I hope you can understand that many people are very uncomfortable with legitimizing Venezuela and Cuba’s dictators as it is in line with his PAST associations.
Martin wrote, “The idea being that if we listen to them they will listen to us.”
If only the craigslist killer was listened to! Maybe he’d listen to us. If only that Muslim man who killed his daughters and then his wife LISTENED to his wife pleading with him to stop (I wish I had the link to the story) the honor killing. Problem is Martin. There is evil in the world. We are not it!
Venezuela’s dictator is evil. He is causing so much pain and suffering in his country. There is nothing he has to offer us. Nothing.
I hope you can hear us before we weaken ourselves too much and strengthen evil leaders off the charts.
Martin wrote, “I think he recognizes that the old US dominated world order no longer works and is trying to be more open and accessible”
I think we should try an expirement. Reach out to low lifes in prison – find the ones who will be leaving soon. Make YOUR HOME more OPEN and accessible. Yes, that is the direction you should go!
This is not good diplomacy
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090421/USA_Border_090421/20090421?hub=TopStories
OMG
Neo,
Let me say first off that I supported President Bush throughout his eight terms as President, and I am unapologetic in my criticisms of President Obama.
BUT conservatives and those who supported Bush and weathered 8 years of Bush Derangement Syndrome should not be so quick to fall into the trapping of doing the same thing to President Obama.
My personal inclination is to go there myself. Everything about Obama offends the hell out of me, from his constantly stern facial expressions to all the outrageous bills he’s pushed in Congress, not least is the bill mandating community service for people of all ages (last I checked it was 18-65 years old) and having our children indoctrinated and wearing quasi-military uniforms. That is bad.
BUT I think Obama got a raw deal from the conservatives on this whole Chavez affair. Like at the full video of when Chavez gave Obama the book. Chavez popped unexpectedly into a conference and handed Obama a book. Obama graciously smiled and accepted the book. He did the diplomatic thing. The alternative would be – what? – to refuse the book and boot Chavez out of a conference consisting of Latin Americans?
Look at the Bill O’Reilly segment on another meeting between Obama and Chavez after that book incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfOhZT1aL9U
It almost looked like Obama was reprimanded Chavez like a teacher wagging his finger at a child. This is certainly not the impression you got from Drudge and Hannity and other talking heads. News is spun like crazy nowadays.
I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t like being played the fool. Not be Drudge. Not by anyone.
I suffered through 8 years of Bush Derangement Syndrome, defending Bush even when his acts were indefensible, and I’ll be darned if I’m going to fall into doing Obama Derangement Syndrome. And it’s my opinion that for those who clearly saw the BDS and who railed against it should know better than to fall into that same behavior against Obama. I’m not talking about you specifically, Neo, but for conservatives in general.
If you want to criticize Obama, you need not look further than his actions and the bills he’s proposing. It’s a target rich environment. That’s clean and honest. No need to froth at the mouth with the mention of Obama’s name.
Martin: I think he recognizes that the old US dominated world order no longer works.
When did it stop to work? “Plan Colombia” has been fairly successful in reducing the power of FARC in Colombia- much to the chagrin of Thugo. US foreign policy also worked in getting Saddam out of Iraq, and it also worked in the Surge in Iraq. Also note that in early 2007 Senator Obama introduced a resolution to get combat troops out of Iraq by March 2008, which would have knee-capped the Surge.
Someone who has worked to sabotage US foreign policy- and if passed Obama’s resolution would have sabotaged the Surge- cannot then state that US foreign policy doesn’t work, at least it one wants credibility.
Thursday: I understand the point you’re making, but my quarrel with Obama is that he went out of his way to cross a room to shake Chavez’s hand, not the other way around. He also showed naivete in that this gesture naturally paved the way for others in which Chavez took advantage of him, such as pushing an anti-American book into his hands.
Obama should never, never, have placed himself in that position. Chavez played him like a violin, and the message was not lost on Latin America—or the world.
And have you read the book, Neo? Have you ever heard of Eduardo Galeano before this? And do you think that any book which criticizes American foreign policy is the equivalent of the Protocols of the Elers of Zion?
And have you read the book, Neo? Have you ever heard of Eduardo Galeano before this? And do you think that any book which criticizes American foreign policy is the equivalent of the Protocols of the Elers of Zion?
I’ll answer for Neo by paraphrasing Prof Mike Adams of UNC-Wilmington:
“Last week, I was jogging along. In front of me, a man was walking a dog. As I watched, the dog stopped, squatted, and unloaded onto the path.
As I passed the pile of crap, I did not need to sniff it, touch it, or take a bite out of it. I guess you could say that I know crap when I see it.”
De Polonia a Nicaragua its a great book, too bad that was publish only in espanol, I think the best book about the marxist activity in Central America…eye opener. I think Czarkowski wrote another book, where is he ?