Today’s Washington Times has a house editorial condemning Massachusetts Congressman William Delahunt for, in the words of the editorial board, “consorting with America’s enemies.” The charge reads as follows:
Mr. Delahunt has found a new way to bring home the pork: Get it from foreign dictators like Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chavez. The leftist thug and dear friend of Fidel Castro found a willing business partner in Mr. Delahunt, with whom he negotiated a deal to supply low-income Massachusetts residents with discounted heating oil. Any concerns the congressman might have had about dealing with one of the most virulent critics of the United States were apparently forgotten as he posed for reporters outside the home of a constituent who will receive the discount.A Delahunt spokesman told the Boston Globe that Mr. Chavez showed “an inclination to do a humanitarian distribution” of oil. Truly, a despot with a heart of gold. Why, just a week ago, Mr. Chavez was saying that “the people of the United States are governed by a murderer — a crazy man,” referring to President Bush.
In the high-stakes game of Washington politics, Mr. Delahunt obviously lives by the rule “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
The Times equates being a “critic” of America—specifically, the American government—with being an “enemy” of America. This is an odd play on words. A critic is not an enemy, particularly in the context of international relations. There is no evidence to even suggest that the United States and Venezuela are enemies, despite the fact that their presidents probably don’t like each other.
Congress has not declared war on Venezuela. The U.S. maintains full diplomatic relations with the Chavez government, and vice versa. The State Department has not placed Venezuela on its list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism” or issued a “Travel Warning” advising Americans to avoid the country. There is substantial intergovernmental cooperation between the U.S. and Venezuela. For example, the Department of Justice and FTC have conducted workshops in Venezuela to promote the development of antitrust laws in that country. Does this make the Bush administration an enemy of itself for conspiring with the Chavez regime? (It certainly marks the U.S. government as hostile to American businesses in the region.)
Under the deal announced by Delahunt last week, CITGO, a division of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, will deliver 12 million gallons of heating oil to two non-profit groups in Massachusetts, who will then distribute the oil to low-income families. Is the Times implying that the non-profits, the people who receive this oil, and indeed anyone who buys CITGO products, are all “enemies of America”? If so, then the Times should state that clearly, rather than selectively targeting a Democratic congressman they happen to dislike.
Should Delahunt be criticized for using the Chavez regime’s actions to criticize the Bush administration? Well, Delahunt is a leftist, and his press release on the CITGO deal bemoaned the greed of U.S. oil companies and attacked the White House for “unconscionable reductions in low-income fuel assistance.” All Delahunt has really done, though, is beg Venezuela’s government for welfare that he couldn’t get from the U.S. government. He’s not a hero. But he’s no more an “enemy of America” than the Bush administration officials who deal with Chavez’s quasi-dictatorial regime every day.
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It is very sad that Chavez’s critics abroad severely miss the point always, which in turn gives Chavez’s supporters at home more weapons to rally behind him. So, in this case the critique should focus on questioning the legitimacy of Chavez handing out resources which are not his, but of “all venezuelans”, since the state oil corporation is supposedly property of all venezuelans.
That’s exactly what I thought when I read the news: I’m not sure the Venezuelians are too happy about “poor Americans being helped”… while in 2002 inflation rate was 26% in their own country.
Considering his record of jumping into bed with Fidel Castro, I’m not surprised that Delahunt would whore himself out to Chavez. I don’t think there’s any cess-pit he wouldn’t gladly wade through in return for a few more votes.
Hugo Chavez must be very happy now that he’s got a US Congressman, bought and paid for with a few thousand barrels of cheap oil.
I wonder if Dela-whore’s supporters would be so undersanding if a Republican congressman made the same type of deal with an ally of the US, such as Kuwait, and secured a bunch of low cost oil exclusively for the benefit of the citizens of a GOP controlled state.
It’s just another example of the self-righteous, transparent hypocirsy of the political left. No wonder they can’t win any national elections.
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