The article is a media spin piece. My understanding is that the U.S. government rejected the initial extradition request because of a technicality with how it was filed.
http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=96818 Also note that Panama held Posada from 2000 to 2004, and during that time they rejected an extradition request from Venezuela (in 2002). Posada was pardoned in Panama in 2004 and went into hiding. Lastly, Posada isn't exactly walking around free. He entered the United States illegally, and U.S. officials have detained him while they decide what to do with him. The article covers some of the legal details. Suffice it to say that this is more a matter of legal wrangling between countries than anything else. My concern is that Bush's domestic political enemies will use this minor debate to stoke the fires of opposition, and thereby provide further fuel for our real enemies- Al Qaeda and other extremist elements who take every opportunity they can to demonize us in the media. I think it's high time someone from the Democrats (other than Joe Lieberman, he's practically a Republican) stood up and said we're not going to stoop to this partisan BS when the reputation of our country in the rest of the world is at stake. If you go through and you total up all the reported cases of abuse at Guantanamo, Abu Graib, and in Afghanistan, it adds up to a few dozen cases. That's less than an afternoon rape and torture session for Udai Hussein (before he was pushing up daises). Kim Jong Il has more people than that killed in a week just for looking at him cross-eyed. More people than that are raped and murdered in civil conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, Congo, and several other African nations every month. I could go on and on with the list of the truly horrible things that go on around the world, but my point is that all of the people who are whinging about how horrible the U.S. government is (see the kooks at Amnesty International) need to be reminded of what true evil looks like. The great irony, of course, is that if Al Qaeda or the Taliban were in charge in the U.S., it is the liberal intellectual Left whose heads would be first on the chopping block. Our guys are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq to defend Michael Moore's right to call them butchers. With any luck, Michael Moore will be able to fly to Iraq within a couple of years and spew his crap to them without fear of being imprisoned and killed, too. Of course, he might not get a very warm reception- unless he goes to Fallujah or Tikrit. >The U.S. rejected on Friday Venezuela's first move to extradite a >Cuban exile wanted for an airliner bombing, in a case that could >challenge the U.S. commitment to fight all forms of terrorism. > >Wacko picture here: > >http://tinyurl.com/btx5b ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:159375 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
