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Politics : The Obama - Clinton Disaster -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (51546)	6/21/2011 5:01:17 PM
From: Cage Rattler	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 103300

Here's some tear-jerking news... Venezuelans Puzzle Over Health of Chávez CARACAS—Venezuela's voluble and ubiquitous President Hugo Chávez has pulled a disappearing act that has friends and foes alike speculating about the state of his health and the future of his rule. Mr. Chávez has been in Cuba since June 8, when he was felled by a pelvic abscess for which he underwent an operation two days later. Soon after, Venezuelan officials said the flamboyant leader was in good health but would recuperate in Havana for a "few days." Those few days have stretched out into almost two weeks, punctuated by false alarms over the date of his return. On Monday, a ruling party lawmaker said Mr. Chávez was hours from touching down in Caracas and urged his supporters to prepare a "tremendous" welcome for him. The claim was quickly refuted on the Twitter account of Venezuela's Communications Minister Andres Izarra. On Tuesday, Mr. Chávez made another virtual appearance. In a statement posted on the Mr. Izarra's Twitter account, he lamented the death of another Venezuelan official who had sought medical treatment in Cuba. "We don't know very much about [Chávez's] health, there is no official news, only partial reports," said Chávez critic Teodoro Petkoff, a former presidential candidate and current editor of the opposition newspaper Tal Cual. Mr. Chávez has had health problems since early May, when a knee injury forced him into a near-total withdrawal from public appearances and required twice-a-day physical therapy sessions. Once a slender tank commander and would-be major-league baseball pitcher, Mr. Chávez has cultivated an image as a health-conscious sportsman. But 12 years in power have taken their toll. Mr. Chávez, 56, has gained a lot of weight since his days on the mound, works long hours and is known for drinking quarts of coffee daily. Nevertheless, he seemed poised to resume a full schedule in early June when he left Venezuela for visits to Brazil, Ecuador and Cuba. In Cuba, he suffered acute pain during a meeting with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and was rushed into surgery for a pelvic abscess, a pus-filled cavity that can result from injury or infection. Since then, Mr. Chávez has been nearly invisible, except for a phone call into a Venezuelan television station on June 10, the same day the Cuban state newspaper Granma published a photograph of Mr. Chávez wearing a tracksuit in the colors of the Venezuelan flag, and flanked by the two Cuban leaders. In a three-paragraph article, Granma assured its readers that Mr. Chávez was keeping in close communication with top Venezuelan officials and was "on top of the principal issues of his country." During normal times, Mr. Chávez dominates Venezuela's airwaves and public space. He is prone to break into television broadcasts of baseball games and Venezuelans' favorite soap operas to opine at length about everything from local news events to he latest manifestation of U.S. imperialism. But perhaps following Mr. Castro's advice to get some rest, Mr. Chávez has been noticeably silent about the week's events in Venezuela, where some 5,000 troops are fighting to squelch a prison rebellion that so far has taken some 40 lives. Romer Guevara, a 41-year-old court bailiff, said he doesn't have any problem with Chávez governing from Cuba while recuperating. Mr. Guevara, who says he is politically neutral, said there is one thing he is sure he hasn't missed during Chávez's absence. "We don't like those long speeches," Guevara said. "We get tired of all that talking. He interrupts our shows all the time. He cuts in all the time when I'm watching baseball or a basketball game. " But Mr. Chávez has continued to enact major legislation from Havana, over the complaints of opposition lawmakers who unsuccessfully insisted he cede presidential duties during the extended and unplanned absence from Venezuela. Some analysts believe Mr. Chávez' long absence could be a sign his government is entering a crisis, especially if his health deteriorates. "There's nobody that one can see that can take his place," said Claudio Loser, president of Centennial Group Latin America advisory firm and former head of Western Hemisphere affairs for the International Monetary Fund. "As strong as his movement is...it is very much caudillo-oriented, very much linked to the leader in power." But others believe a healthy Mr. Chávez will soon be back giving orders from Venezuela's presidential palace. The down time in Cuba will not be long enough to disrupt Chávez's legislative agenda or his 2012 reelection bid, says Boris Segura, senior Latin American economist at Nomura Securities. online.wsj.com

To: Bill who wrote (51546)	6/21/2011 5:02:02 PM
From: Cage Rattler	Respond to of 103300

Libya War-Funding Fight Escalates WASHINGTON—U.S. lawmakers staked out starkly different positions Tuesday on the legitimacy of the American intervention in Libya, suggesting more legislative challenges are ahead in a debate the White House had hoped to put to rest. Sens. John Kerry (D., Mass.) and John McCain (R., Ariz.) introduced a resolution to give President Barack Obama authority to continue the U.S. participation in the military action for one year. But in the House, Rep. Joe Heck (R., Nev.) planned to introduce a bill to force the U.S. to withdraw from Libya and to ban federal funds from being used in the campaign. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio) is also trying to force a vote on cutting off funding by attaching a measure to a defense spending bill currently on the floor. The Obama administration said last week that it did not need congressional approval because the U.S. military's role is "distinct" from the kind of actions contemplated by the War Powers Resolution. The U.S. is mostly playing a supporting role, administration officials have said, mainly by gathering intelligence and refueling aircraft. Its costs have totaled about $716 million through the start of June. But tea party-backed lawmakers and fiscal conservatives have joined with antiwar liberals to say that Mr. Obama has gone too far. The House, in a 268-145 vote earlier this month, said Mr. Obama failed to offer an adequate rationale for intervening. It so far has stopped short of voting to cut off funding. House Republican leaders are unclear whether a majority of the caucus is ready to use its control of the federal budget to express displeasure. Leaders will know more after the Republican caucus meets Wednesday morning. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said a vote on a bill related to Libya will come up for a vote on Thursday. Mr. Obama committed U.S. resources in March after Col. Moammar Gadhafi tried to squelch an uprising among his people. The U.S. initially took a lead role in the campaign by bombing Libyan air-defense systems. It later turned over control to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization but has continued to play a supporting role. In the Senate, supporters of the U.S. intervention want to end the debate by voting to give Mr. Obama approval to keep involved in the campaign in Libya. "It is time for the Senate to speak. And when that time comes, I believe we will find a strong bipartisan majority that is in favor of authorizing our current military operations in Libya," Mr. McCain said on the Senate floor. Senate supporters also are hoping to use the congressional resolution to endorse the use of Libyan funds that have been frozen by the U.S. government to provide humanitarian relief to the Libyan people. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been trying to hold a committee vote on such a measure, but has postponed votes amid disagreements on the committee. —Janet Hook and Jeff Bater contributed to this article. online.wsj.com