AMERICAblog: McCain goes to Colombia the day they rescue American hostages. Imagine that.
penndaly
· 1 year ago
CNN just announced that McCain was briefed yesterday before the rescue mission by Colombia's President. McCain's campaign (with Lieberman being cited) is now telling reporters that this shows the standing that McCain has in the international community.
This one truly stinks of a staged event.
Deacon_Blues
· 1 year ago
How does it feel to be manipulated, folks? It makes me feel dirty.
SarainKC
· 1 year ago
Andy Borowitz nails it:
The liberal blogosphere was aflame today with new accusations that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is trying to win the 2008 presidential election.
Can we PLEASE get back to business and help Barack beat this sack of sh*t now?
scottinsf
· 1 year ago
Umm...doesn't pointing out how clueless, craven, befuddled, opportunistic, and generally pathetic every aspect of every last thing McCain does help Obama? I see nothing wrong with discussing these things and the fact that the timing is suspect. If that upsets either campaign, tough.
mirth
· 1 year ago
Of course it does. Defining the enemy explains why our candidate is so vital.
nsr
· 1 year ago
Next stop- NW Pakistan. McCain tosses bin Laden around like a sack of spuds. Then Lieberman comes out and drapes the towel over his shoulders.
IzzyStoner
· 1 year ago
They were originally spotted three weeks ago. What a wonderful "coincidence" for McCain.
Colombia: U.S. Hostages Spotted By REUTERS Published: June 10, 2008
Three American contract workers who have been held hostage by Colombian rebels since 2003 were spotted by troops in the jungle a few months ago, but it was not possible to try a rescue, Colombian officials said. “Our men saw the three Americans bathing in the river,” Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told a radio station in Bogotá. “They saw them there and even heard them speaking in English.” The men — Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes — were captured after their aircraft crashed during an antidrug mission for the United States Defense Department.
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 1 year ago
contractors for the Defense Department... contracted from whom I wonder??
not to mention... Defense Department flying antidrug missions in Columbia?
huh?
SarainKC
· 1 year ago
Just like with Iraq, the war on drugs is a huge business. The US has been smuggling drugs to the US since Raygun- maybe even Nixon. I can't recall exactly, but wasn't there a CIA plane that went down loaded with cocaine headed for the US? Does anyone remember that?
Nigel Elliott
· 1 year ago
Is McCain trying Reagan's hostage crisis crap to win over voters? I dare McCain to try taking credit for this, when it was Hugo Chavez who took the lead to free the hostages.
I'd trust Hugo Chavez before I'd trust McChimpytheSecond.
OlderAndWiser
· 1 year ago
Ditto. But no one will notice while they concentrate on McBush's international "gravitas."
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
Bush doesn't have any gravitas. He is hated overseas
Sage24
· 1 year ago
It is pathetic that McCain's people are staging events like this, so early in the game. I guess with nothing much of run on, and being known for being a big time supporter of Bush's disastrous policies, does not help McCain so much.
moreleesafer
· 1 year ago
guess what:
Fox News: There ‘Really Might Be A Connection’ Between McCain’s Visit To Colombia And The Hostage Release
ChicagoKid
· 1 year ago
A coincident just like when Ronnie Raygun became prez and Iran instantly gave him our hostages--only years later we find out that Raygun traded weapons for freeing the hostages. It was also illegal.
I bet he gave the hostages some of his wife's stolen drugs, a night with Patrick McHenry, and two thousand cases of beer...free delivery of course!!!
ZennButtKicker (tlhwraith)
· 1 year ago
This is very sad if it is some staged thing to try to give McCain some more gravitas on international issues. truth be known, this isn't like Iran or something where most Americans were even aware there were hostages in Latin America, so if this is staged, the guys staging it are kind of clueless.
Now for the real question, why is hardly anyone talking about the fact that McCain is, yet again, shaking up high levels of his campaign by playing musical chairs with his campaign manager? I think it shows incredibly bad leadership and organizational ability to have to switch top campaign personnel so often. Has Obama had to let any of his top people go for incompetance except for that one woman who called Sen. Clinton a bad name?
SarainKC
· 1 year ago
Good point. McSame's crowd wages war on the wrong country, outs a covert CIA agent, loses track of billions of US dollars with no apparent desire to recover it, gets bilked in overcharges by Halliburton and the other no-bid contract buddies, pays a bunch of lawless mercenaries 10x what our troops earn and can't manage to support a 3% raise to help them out and now we learn they left 5 of our guys trapped as prisoners for FIVE YEARS and they are just now getting around to doing something about it only after Chavez orders their release? Sh*t, those guys sat there for 5 years. Wow. FIVE YEARS. Wonder what McSame has to say about why it took them so long to free them? Key Stone Cops.
OlderAndWiser
· 1 year ago
Staged bullshit. From one rightwing president to a rightwing wannabee.
jr
· 1 year ago
we're going to have non-stop Potemkinism and October Surprises from McCombover to distract the mouth-breathers from their Hooverist standard of living
woodroad34
· 1 year ago
If he was--somehow--influential in this matter, under what authority did McShrub act? Isn't this an international event? Shouldn't the President (*cough*, *spit*, *snort*) have been briefed/woken up from his nappy? There's no way McShrub has the authority to do anything about this.
lpeggy
· 1 year ago
This is staged by the GOP/White House, and we can look for the photo-op coming soon. I'm very happy they are released, but the use of this as a political tool is disgusting.
SarainKC
· 1 year ago
Let them use this as a phot-op. We counter with pointng out over and over they (McCain's crowd) left them there for FIVE YEARS! Why? If they can't "defeat" a bunch of rougue drug dealers, who are they kidding if they think they can defeat big bad al Qaeda! The GOP needs to be branded the key stone cops with Bush and McCain competing to see who is Barney Fife. Turn it on their ass and lets see what excuse they come up with. Key Stone Cops....key stone cops...
naschkatzehussein
· 1 year ago
I hope these hostages weren't kept in a "holding pattern" so the GOP could use them at the opportune time. And in connection with the McCain and cocaine post above, yes, we are the number one drug-using country in the world and Columbia is probably our number one dealer. So why is the Bush administration so cozy with this country anyway?
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
Boy are you right. Remember when 9-11 happened and said not to use 9-11 as a photo-op? What did they do turned around and used it in ad to elect Bush and bad mouth dems when we tried to use it. What scums
shanobama
· 1 year ago
McCain went to give 'em a ride back to the US.
And he has reporters on the airbus express!
Who's paying for the gas? The RNC? Cindy? Bush?
butchcjg
· 1 year ago
McCain made ANOTHER comment today that he didn't love america til kept away from her..... aboard his plane on way to columbia in response to question about Clark's comments.
SarainKC
· 1 year ago
NO Republican loves this country as their actions demonstrate. The media seems very comfortable with that. This is a non-starter.
Butch1
· 1 year ago
Coincidence?
Hardly, I'm sure Bush has been in on it and has been feeding him all the information he needed to be there at the same time to get the best press. It will make him look like he knows what's happening in the world. This is really under the belt politics. Of course, what would one expect from this administration. They will try every trick in the book to win this election except on their merits or on doing a decent job running the country.
nikto
· 1 year ago
Someday, perhaps in a million years, John McCain will evolve up to the level of pond scum.
But from here & now, he's got a long, long, way to go.
McCain supporters are just "pond-scum voters".
Mikki --SE Pennsylvania
· 1 year ago
Yes!
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
You watch McCain and republicans will take credit for that.
FunMe
· 1 year ago
I didn't even know we had "hostages" in Columbia.
Why wasn't there a daily Nightline-type TV show like: "The Columbia Crisis—America Held Hostage: 2003"
Edited by warsaw to remove stupid uninformed comment.
Anyway, seeing McC and Leiberman shoulder to shoulder so often gives me a little chill up my leg but not in a nice way. It's like seeing conjoined twins who have been surgically separated but can't bring themselves to move away from each other. There's something fetishistic about McC's need to have Joe sniffing his armpit wherever he goes that's disturbing. Blegghh!
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
Gosh that chill up your leg is the same one Matthews feels when he sees McCain. After all Chris Matthews said that the media is his base. The media is proving it everyday. They don't hold him accountable for anything he says. Even when they can prove what he said. He will say he didn't say it. So who do we believe? McCain voice or our lying eyes when we see and hear what he truly said.
Savage8862
· 1 year ago
Someone from his campaign did raise 1.7 million dollars...was it a bribe?
okojo
· 1 year ago
It was a coincidence...
It is idiotic to think that the Colombian military would do this operation because McCain is coming. There is still like 40 of more high profile hostages in FARC's hands. Why this operation is a success is that FARC has been hit very hard this year, with the lost of their commander and three of their top leaders.
They rescued 15 people, and to pull it off, they had to pretend it was a charity flight, it has nothing to do that three of the hostages were Gringos...
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
Watch: If our Republican politicized Pentagon and Bu$hco could figure out some way to get some high terror target or even Osama bin Laden, McClown would be flown in so he could pose with his foot on his head. Its sickening this administration has politized our government so much. I'm sure they are PANICKED the next administration might be Democratic and all their secrets might come tumbling out.
In fact, one thing the Democratic Party needs to remind voters is a McClown Administration will keep all the Bu$hco. secrets locked away. Dubya will be able to get away with his lawlessness. Obama needs to tell voters if they want to find out why this administration has been a disaster, and people to be held accountable, then they need to vote Democratic.
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
Wait wait. It ain't Oct yet. The surprise is coming than. Just like in 04 the repuks are praying for an attack.
Mikki --SE Pennsylvania
· 1 year ago
Are we to be expected to believe that Insane McCain acutally had ANYTHING to do with the release of these hostages? I mean really, how stupid does the administration think we are?
kiki
· 1 year ago
McCain goes to Colombia the day they rescue American hostages. Imagine that.
IMAGINE THAT! Great new campaign adds for McBush. Isn't he just "Mr. Wonderful!"
KasV
· 1 year ago
NOT a coincidence. Think. Charlie Black lobbied for Columbia. His list of activities also included winning ‘foreign assistance for Colombia’ and efforts to block an economic embargo against the country, which has a questionable human rights record. Think again. McCain and Joe just "happened to be there" with Joe giving face time to the press? Guess who McCain's running mate will be - Independent Joe. Remind you of anything?
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
That would be great if he was on his ticket. He will unite the Lib base. Just like Hillary would unite the repuke base. When he was Gore's running mate he came off like why am I here attitude. He speaks so slow and dumb witted.
SouthernYankee
· 1 year ago
Yes that is funny. LiarMan does it with a straight face too. I said earlier watch and wait McCain will take credit.
Nobcentral
· 1 year ago
Really John, you shouldn't be pushing this particular conspiracy because by any measure, it's a rather stupid assertion. This operation has been in the works for months. They launched a similar operation in February that was unsuccessful but provided the basis for this one. And this operation was the culmination of weeks/months of infiltration and coordination with FARC guerrillas. The timing doesn't work out for McCain. The operation was already planned by the time he announced his decision to visit Cartagena.
But, if it was staged, it wasn't staged FOR McCain. If anything it would have been staged for Colombian President Álvaro Uribe. Uribe has been under fire in the last week for bribing a congresswoman in exchange for support for her vote to change the constitution so that he could be elected to a second term. Was McCain and his ilk opportunistic? Of course. But to suggest they ran this thing because McCain was here is really pretty sophmoric.
mirth
· 1 year ago
The post does not suggest that "they ran this thing because McCain was here." Rather, the suggestion is that McCain was there because they ran this thing.
And as penndaly writes downthread, Liebermann confirms that McC was briefed about the FARC raid before his trip.
Good reason to believe the staged event scenario.
Nobcentral
· 1 year ago
Sorry, I don't read it that way. But you're wrong about what Lieberman said anyway. McCain wasn't briefed BEFORE he CAME to Colombia. He was breifed yesterday morning, IN Cartagena, prior to the operation being carried out (as reported by EVERY Colombian news source down here).
There's NO evidence to suggest that the Colombian government (Uribe, Santos, et al) called up the McCain campaign and told them to come on July 3rd because they were going to try this extremely risky and dangerous rescue mission. Remember, the last time they attempted such a mission it failed and historically the Colombian military has had a TERRIBLE hostage rescue record (the last mission that got into the press resulted in the deaths of ALL the hostages). Telling McCain to come because they were doing this mission would be equivalent to telilng your best friend to come over and watch the Powerball results because, you know, you might win. Informing him, since he was here, was an opportunistic move. This conspiracy theory, when confronted with the facts, is laughable.
Nobcentral
· 1 year ago
I would also add that the original post was flat out wrong on the facts. Colombia didn't launch the operation to "rescue Americans". If anything it was to rescue Ingrid Betancourt. That 3 of the 15 that they rescued happened to be Americans doesn't suggest that the intent was to "rescue Americans". Well, unless you're George Bush.
All Comments
This one truly stinks of a staged event.
The liberal blogosphere was aflame today with new accusations that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is trying to win the 2008 presidential election.
Can we PLEASE get back to business and help Barack beat this sack of sh*t now?
Defining the enemy explains why our candidate is so vital.
Colombia: U.S. Hostages Spotted
By REUTERS
Published: June 10, 2008
Three American contract workers who have been held hostage by Colombian rebels since 2003 were spotted by troops in the jungle a few months ago, but it was not possible to try a rescue, Colombian officials said. “Our men saw the three Americans bathing in the river,” Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told a radio station in Bogotá. “They saw them there and even heard them speaking in English.” The men — Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes — were captured after their aircraft crashed during an antidrug mission for the United States Defense Department.
not to mention... Defense Department flying antidrug missions in Columbia?
huh?
I dare McCain to try taking credit for this, when it was Hugo Chavez who took the lead to free the hostages.
Hugo Chavez tells FARC guerrillas to free hostages
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2008/06...
Fox News: There ‘Really Might Be A Connection’ Between McCain’s Visit To Colombia And The Hostage Release
I bet he gave the hostages some of his wife's stolen drugs, a night with Patrick McHenry, and two thousand cases of beer...free delivery of course!!!
Now for the real question, why is hardly anyone talking about the fact that McCain is, yet again, shaking up high levels of his campaign by playing musical chairs with his campaign manager? I think it shows incredibly bad leadership and organizational ability to have to switch top campaign personnel so often. Has Obama had to let any of his top people go for incompetance except for that one woman who called Sen. Clinton a bad name?
And he has reporters on the airbus express!
Who's paying for the gas?
The RNC? Cindy? Bush?
Hardly, I'm sure Bush has been in on it and has been feeding him all the information he needed to be there at the same time to get the best press. It will make him look like he knows what's happening in the world. This is really under the belt politics. Of course, what would one expect from this administration. They will try every trick in the book to win this election except on their merits or on doing a decent job running the country.
to the level of pond scum.
But from here & now, he's got a long, long, way to go.
McCain supporters are just "pond-scum voters".
Why wasn't there a daily Nightline-type TV show like:
"The Columbia Crisis—America Held Hostage: 2003"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightline_(US_news...
Anyway, seeing McC and Leiberman shoulder to shoulder so often gives me a little chill up my leg but not in a nice way. It's like seeing conjoined twins who have been surgically separated but can't bring themselves to move away from each other. There's something fetishistic about McC's need to have Joe sniffing his armpit wherever he goes that's disturbing. Blegghh!
It is idiotic to think that the Colombian military would do this operation because McCain is coming. There is still like 40 of more high profile hostages in FARC's hands. Why this operation is a success is that FARC has been hit very hard this year, with the lost of their commander and three of their top leaders.
They rescued 15 people, and to pull it off, they had to pretend it was a charity flight, it has nothing to do that three of the hostages were Gringos...
In fact, one thing the Democratic Party needs to remind voters is a McClown Administration will keep all the Bu$hco. secrets locked away. Dubya will be able to get away with his lawlessness. Obama needs to tell voters if they want to find out why this administration has been a disaster, and people to be held accountable, then they need to vote Democratic.
IMAGINE THAT! Great new campaign adds for McBush. Isn't he just "Mr. Wonderful!"
But, if it was staged, it wasn't staged FOR McCain. If anything it would have been staged for Colombian President Álvaro Uribe. Uribe has been under fire in the last week for bribing a congresswoman in exchange for support for her vote to change the constitution so that he could be elected to a second term. Was McCain and his ilk opportunistic? Of course. But to suggest they ran this thing because McCain was here is really pretty sophmoric.
And as penndaly writes downthread, Liebermann confirms that McC was briefed about the FARC raid before his trip.
Good reason to believe the staged event scenario.
There's NO evidence to suggest that the Colombian government (Uribe, Santos, et al) called up the McCain campaign and told them to come on July 3rd because they were going to try this extremely risky and dangerous rescue mission. Remember, the last time they attempted such a mission it failed and historically the Colombian military has had a TERRIBLE hostage rescue record (the last mission that got into the press resulted in the deaths of ALL the hostages). Telling McCain to come because they were doing this mission would be equivalent to telilng your best friend to come over and watch the Powerball results because, you know, you might win. Informing him, since he was here, was an opportunistic move. This conspiracy theory, when confronted with the facts, is laughable.