Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is known to be sick in the head but how sick is he in the hip? Apparently, the communist leader of Venezuela has been in Cuba since June 10th for medical treatment. Here we are more than two weeks later and the one guy who seeks out cameras as much as - if not more than - Barack Obama has been conspicuously silent. His spokesmen seem to be a little defensive about the speculation, saying that Hugo is fine and will be back on the public stage by July 5th.
Senior allies of Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez have dismissed reports he is sicker than the government has admitted, telling his enemies to "stop dreaming" of his death.
The normally verbose leader has not been seen in public since a June 10 operation in Cuba to remove a pelvic swelling. His long absence has prompted widespread speculation he may be seriously ill, possibly being treated for prostate cancer.
Accusing opponents of cynically rejoicing at his health problems, government officials insist Chavez, 56, is fine and that he should be back for a regional summit planned for Venezuela's 200th anniversary of independence on July 5.
"President Chavez is recovering well from his surgery. His enemies should stop dreaming and his friends should stop worrying," Vice Foreign Minister Temir Porras said on the social networking site Twitter.
"The only thing that has metastasized is the cancer of the Miami Herald and the rest of the right-wing press."
Having lived in South Florida for many years, I can attest that while the Miami Herald is many things, 'right wing' is certainly not one of them - not even close.
Last week, General David Petraeus expressed serious concern over Obama's 'aggressive' draw down of troops in Afghanistan in front of a Senate Armed Forces Committee. When Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) tried to get Petraeus to admit that if he had serious reservations about the President's orders he would resign, Petraeus forcefully responded that he is 'not a quitter.' As that was happening, U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear, who commands the NATO Joing Operation in Naples, Italy launched quite the politically incorrect salvo and all but called Obama a liar.
The top U.S. admiral involved in the Libya war admitted to a U.S. congressman that NATO forces are trying to kill Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. The same admiral also said he anticipated the need for ground troops in Libya after Qaddafi falls, according to the lawmaker.
House Armed Services Committee member Mike Turner (R-OH) told The Cable that U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the NATO Joint Operations Command in Naples, Italy, told him last month that NATO forces are actively targeting and trying to kill Qaddafi, despite the fact that the Obama administration continues to insist that "regime change" is not the goal and is not authorized by the U.N. mandate authorizing the war.
"The U.N. authorization had three components: blockade, no fly zone, and civil protection. And Admiral Locklear explained that the scope of civil protection was being interpreted to permit the removal of the chain of command of Qaddafi's military, which includes Qaddafi," Turner said. "He said that currently is the mission as NATO has defined."
"I believed that we were [targeting Qaddafi] but that confirmed it," Turner said. "I believe the scope that NATO is pursuing is beyond what is contemplated in civil protection, so they're exceeding the mission."
That wasn't all. Look at how simple it is to read between the lines...
Later in the same briefing, Turner said, Locklear maintained that the NATO mission does not include regime change. "Well, certainly if you remove Qaddafi it will affect regime change," Turner said that he replied. "[Locklear] did not have an answer to that."
Locklear also said that, upon Qaddafi's removal, ground troops would be needed during the immediate period of instability, Turner said. In fact, Locklear said publicly that a "small force" might be necessary following the collapse of the Qaddafi regime in a May 30 conference in Varna, Bulgaria.
Ground troops in Libya? While we have Gen. Petraeus all but telling Congress that Obama is making a huge mistake by pulling so many troops out of Afghanistan, we have a Navy Admiral admitting to a congressman that Gadhafi is being targeted and that we will need boots on the ground there to clean up the mess.
Here is a bonus from Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) on Meet the Press. He seems to be making it clear that he doesn't approve of how Obama is handling the situation in Libya.
CNN reporter Don Lemon seems mildly apoplectic over this story as he reports it. Apparently lost on people like him who work for liberal media outlets is that the TSA policy that is causing things like the TSA requiring a 95 year-old leukemia patient to remove her adult diaper, can be laid at the feet of Barack Obama. The TSA reports to Napolitano and Napolitano reports directly to Obama. Lost on Lemon is that Obama is responsible for this policy and this abhorrent behavior from the TSA. He could end it tomorrow but we never even here him talk about it.
