As If They Saw the Devil

According to the Republican Party, in the hands of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela is a threat to the United States. Mitt Romney’s platform points out that the country has become a narco-terrorist state and an Iranian outpost in the Western Hemisphere, which grants passports or visas to thousands of Middle Eastern terrorists, offering a haven to Hezbollah.

Venezuela has become a “narco-terrorist” state, a haven for Middle Eastern terrorists, the regional headquarters of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and “a growing threat” to U.S. security, according to Republicans who prepare for Mitt Romney’s arrival in the White House.

The mention of Venezuela as one of the countries that the U.S. should watch out for was a common occurrence this week in Tampa, Florida, where the Republican Party celebrated its 40th National Convention, closing Thursday with the investiture of Romney, 65 years old, as the presidential candidate.

For campaign advisers and party delegates, Venezuela was part of the international policy script when talking about Romney’s possible government, although they centered on criticism without revealing any concrete plan.

However, a summary of the party’s feelings about the government of President Hugo Chavez is defined in the Republican Party’s solid government program, approved on Tuesday in Tampa and that draws a roadmap for the eventual government of the presidential candidate, although it is not binding.

Most of its section “Strengthening Ties in the Americas” is dedicated to the South American oil-producing countries, but not before pointing out that the present government of Barack Obama “has turned its back on Latin America, with predictable results. Rather than supporting our democratic allies in the region, the president has prioritized engagement with his enemies in the region.” [http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/29/2974974/republicans-tilt-right-on-latin.html]

“Venezuela represents a growing threat to U.S. security, a threat which has grown much worse on the current president’s watch,” the document said without mentioning the name of the leader Chavez. [http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/29/2974974/republicans-tilt-right-on-latin.html]

“In the last three years, Venezuela has become a narco-terrorist state, turning it into an Iranian outpost in the Western Hemisphere, which issues [Venezuelan] passports or visas to thousands of Middle Eastern terrorists offering safe haven to Hezbollah …” the platform added.* [http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/29/2974974/republicans-tilt-right-on-latin.html]

On the other hand, the Republican government platform promised that “we will stand with the true democracies of the region against both Marxist subversion and the drug lords, helping them to become prosperous alternatives to the collapsing model of Venezuela and Cuba.” [http://whitehouse12.com/republican-party-platform/]

On Wednesday, the former U.S. secretary during the George Bush era, Condoleezza Rice, relived her fifteen minutes on stage at the Tampa Bay Times, giving a speech focused on foreign policy, which also made reference to the Venezuelan opposition.

“I know that it has not always been easy though it has been rewarding to speak for those who otherwise do not have a voice. The religious dissident in China, the democracy advocate in Venezuela, the political prisoners in Iran,” Rice said in a speech that was well-received. [http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/378852/20120830/condoleezza-rice-republican-convention-rnc-obama-foreign.htm]

Until now Romney had avoided a belligerent tone towards Venezuela, as George W. Bush (2001-2009) once employed and was limited to lamenting that “the leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, has failed in honor of the spirit of freedom with which Venezuela was established”. [http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/10/07/text-of-mitt-romneys-speech-on-foreign-policy-at-the-citadel/]

Chavez “is promoting ideas in Venezuela and the rest of Latin American countries that are opposed to freedom, prevent prosperity and expand tyranny,” he said in small rallies that he conducted with Florida’s Hispanic community since the primary earlier this year.** [http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2012/07/05/1245025/romney-dice-que-chavez-no-honra.html]

But the Republican government plan and the words of Hispanic and international affairs advisers revealed a radicalization of the stance toward the South American nation for which, this time, they reserved stronger accusations than those against Cuba, formerly the number one enemy of Washington in Latin America.

In all cases, the references to the “two tyrannies” of the region ended in a diatribe of domestic and electoral politics: Blaming the government of Barack Obama for considering that the Caracas and Havana administrations “are not a danger to national security,” as an Cuban-American congressman, Mario Diaz-Balart told AFP.*** [probable actual quote: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/obama-sees-no-serious-threat-from-chavez-drawing-gop-fire/]

“After four years of Obama’s governing, one cannot trust the United States” he said, mentioning the supposed failures of the government to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, the chaos that reigns in Middle Eastern countries and the danger to democracies in Latin America.****

“Seldom has one seen so dramatic a deterioration in the strength of the United States as we have seen now,” the congressman of Cuban-American origin concluded, who assured that Romney will not be wishy-washy with the Caracas-Havana axis.****

*Editor’s note: The actual statement is “The current regime issues Venezuelan passports or visas to thousands of Middle Eastern terrorists offering safe haven to Hezbollah trainers, operatives, recruiters and fundraisers.”

**Editor’s note: It was not possible to source this quote in English. It was originally published by EFE, a Spanish news agency, and may have not been published in English. It bears close resemblance to a July 5 press release from the Romney campaign.

***Editor’s note: It was not possible to source this quote in English. The original may have been from a statement by Representative Diaz-Balart in which he was quoting President Obama, “’has not had a serious national security impact ….’”

****Editor’s note: It was not possible to source these quotes in English.