The Colombia Hostage Release: Did Hugo Chavez involve US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Tue Jul 8, 2008 6:35 PM EDT

Article Source: Wall Street Journal

venezuela, pelosi, colombia, chavez, sarkozy, farc, betancourt

Last fall, Mr. Chávez and the FARC hatched an audacious plan whereby the Venezuelan would take "proof of life" of Ms. Betancourt to French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, where the plight of Ms. Betancourt was a cause célèbre. The rebels wrote that Mr. Chávez was sure French pressure for negotiations would cause President Bush to "order Uribe to allow the meeting" between Mr. Chávez and the rebels on Colombian soil, something Mr. Uribe had refused to do. The rebels reported that Mr. Chávez was "super-motivated," because he viewed the rendezvous as a public-relations coup that would give him and the FARC "continental and world renown." That plan flopped, but Mr. Chavez had other cards up his sleeve. One involved Ms. Cordoba, who is currently under investigation by the Colombian attorney general for ties to the FARC. She figures prominently in the captured rebel documents, and is notoriously close to Mr. Chávez.

She met at the Venezuelan presidential palace with FARC leaders last fall. From that meeting the rebels reported that "Piedad says that Chávez has Uribe going crazy. He doesn't know what to do. That Nancy Pelosi helps and is ready to help in the swap [hostages in exchange for captured guerrillas]. That she has designated [U.S. Congressman Jim] McGovern for this."

If the speaker of the House was working with Ms. Cordoba in this scheme, her judgment was more than a little misguided. The rebels write that on a trip to Argentina Ms. Cordoba told them, "It doesn't matter to me the proposal that Sarkozy has made to free Ingrid. Above all, do not liberate Ingrid." In short, why give up such a useful pawn?

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{"commentId":2145387,"authorDomain":"mightyblogger"}

Pacific Northwest Blogger

Just a note: These articles quote Rebels as their main source of information.

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#1 - Tue Jul 8, 2008 6:47 PM EDT

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DBE928

True, but does that in itself discredit the information?

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#2 - Thu Jul 10, 2008 9:38 PM EDT

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GT2112

Well, they aren't rebels, they are terrorists. Exploding bombs just to kill people, is a terrorist tactic. Rebels might kill/assasinate certain specific officials, but wholesale slaughter is a terrorist tactic

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#3 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:43 AM EDT

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GT2112

new here.. the first post was slow and I wound up with a double post. sorry

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#4 - Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:48 AM EDT

{"commentId":2315836,"authorDomain":"dbe928"}

DBE928

We'll see what else develops from the FARC, after this hostage rescue and more analysis of the computers from the raids

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#5 - Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:07 PM EDT

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Gateway Pundit: DEM SHOCKER!!... Speaker Pelosi Was Sending Messages to FARC Terrorists While Undermining Colombian Government!	gatewaypundit.blogspot.com	Mon Jul 7	24
Details Emerge of U.S. Role in the Columbian Hostage Rescue	Wall Street Journal	Sun Jul 6	1
Colombian rebels tricked into freeing hostage Ingrid Betancourt. By Jeremy McDermott. 12:46 AM BST July 03, 2008	Telegraph	Thu Jul 3	3
Colombia hostage rescue sidelines Chavez	Associated Press	Fri Jul 4	0
End Farc 'hate', Betancourt urges	BBC News	Mon Jul 7	0

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The Colombia Hostage Release: Did Hugo Chavez involve US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

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