Dedacted from the Newswire Rep. Connie Mack blasts Venezuela's 'thugocrat'
On the third and final day of CPAC, Representative (FL) Connie Mack spent his time on the stage denouncing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Calling Chavez the Western equivalent of Osama Bin Laden and [Iranian President] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mack asked for America to stand up the Venezuelan leader. Interrupted by applause or ovations more than twenty times today in Washington at the 2011 CPAC Conference, Congressman Connie Mack criticized the Obama Administration's cavalier approach to Latin American threats in our hemisphere, pledging to get to the bottom of security failures by the Administration, especially when it comes to the growing threat of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Additionally, Mack blasted former MassachusettsCongressman Joe Kennedy for his role in Chavez's propaganda campaign in the US, calling Kennedy a "disgrace." ** The Republican called Venezuela President Hugo Chavez a "thugocrat" during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday where the three-term congressman also called for a "full-scale economic embargo" on the country. CPAC is the largest annual gathering of conservative-minded activists, which this year is extra-important because it's the first cattle-call of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates. "My assignment will be to spend time on a clear and present danger rising on the horizon, a danger that this administration has not previously understood: I'm talking about Hugo Chavez," he began. "For too long administrations, former administrations and the current administration have thought of Chavez as the crown king of Caracas, entertaining throngs so he can rob them." Mack sounded off on the United States' cordial treatment of Chavez at meetings of the United Nations after Chavez "declared the U.S. to be his enemy." Citing Chavez's "suppression of broadcasters and the press," "throwing DEA agents out of the country," "double-digit inflation," in Venezuela, "aiding and abetting the transit of terrorists, and "making Venezuela an accomplice in the drug trade," Mack compared the Venezuelan leader to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "We ought to treat Chavez the way we treat Ahmadinejad... no ignoring the menace of what Chavez has called the Iranian-Venezuelan axis of unity," he said. Mack pointed out Chavez's close relationship with Iran, and called for Iranian style sanctions against Venezuela saying if Chavez wants to have relations with Iran, then they can be treated like Iran. Mack also made claims that Iran is using Venezuela to create safe houses for Hamas and Hezbollah and that both Iran and Venezuela are guilty of trying to use oil money to turn Mexico into a Socialist nation. Such a move, Mack claims, would allow for terrorists to cross the Mexican border in the United States. Venezuela currently enjoys a close relationship with Iran. And the congressman had few kind words for Joe Kennedy, who he criticized for working with Citgo, the Venezuelan government-owned and U.S. incorporated oil company. Referring to him as a "low man with a great name," he stated "It is a disgrace that this man is the front man of Chavez's oil campaign here in the United States." 'If Joe Kennedy wants to show he is really concerned about 'some' things Chavez is doing, he can see to it that the Boston CITGO sign is turned off. He can see to it that the Fenway Park CITGO sign is covered up until freedom and democracy return to Venezuela.' The only action to meet the "clear and rising danger," Mack said, is to cease "financing Chavez's war against us" and put Venezuela on the state-sponsored terrorist list. Instead, he called for domestic drilling "across the United States and in our waters" and an increase in Canadian supply of oil. "Our story is a story Americans want to hear, not Hugo Chavez's story. It's time to be a defender of freedom," To finish up his speech, Mack called for audience members to boycott CITGO (the Venezuelan state-owned refiner) and for America to start a campaign to let the people of Venezuela know that we are on their side. http://mack.house.gov/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=87e9db19-cd81-4c23-bb22-d6024f9d55b6&ContentType_id=8c55a72b-64f8-4cba-990c-ec1ed2a9de24&Group_id=adaef130-07c0-44c2-a4ac-0019d1b5426a [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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