"Chavez travels to Cuba for surgery; Seeks emergency cancer treatment" by Fabiola Sanchez and Vivian Sequera | Associated Press, February 25, 2012
CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez bid an emotional farewell laced with references to Jesus Christ and independence hero Simon Bolivar as he departed Venezuela yesterday for Cuba for urgent surgery to remove a tumor he says is probably malignant.
Related: New lesion will need surgery, Chavez says
Clasping the hand of his youngest daughter, Chavez addressed allies of his socialist political movement and troops standing at attention at the Miraflores presidential palace....
Chavez, 57, is turning to the same Cuban doctors who extracted a baseball-size cancerous tumor from his pelvic region last summer. This time, the growth is about an inch in diameter.
The president has not disclosed the precise location of either tumor, nor said what kind of cancer he had, but described next week’s surgery as urgent.
Cuban health care is generally considered good, but oncology experts not involved with Chavez’s care say he could be taking a risk by skipping more respected facilities in the United States, Europe, or Brazil - which has Latin America’s most advanced cancer centers with specialized radiation equipment.
Maybe he doesn't trust doctors in those other countries.
“If you have a ‘common’ cancer, that of the breast, colon, or lung . . . then it’s going to be easy to find standards of care that are the same in the US, Brazil, or Cuba,’’ said Dr. Julian Molina, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “The problem comes when you have a tumor that’s not one of the common ones, and that’s what most of us suspect Chavez has.’’
Chavez allies have accused their political foes of hoping the president will die, opening a door for the opposition to win the Oct. 7 vote.
I'm sure U.S. empire-builders and administrators are hoping that. The vote seems so far away right now.
--more--"
He looks healthy enough.
About the vote:
"Venezuelans vote to choose a challenger for Chavez
CARACAS - Opponents of President Hugo Chavez voted in Venezuela’s first presidential primary yesterday, choosing a single challenger they hope will have what it takes to finally defeat the leader after 13 years in office....
Opposition supporters, who turned out in large numbers, seemed less interested in the proposals put forth by the contenders than their chances of defeating Chavez in the October presidential election.
The outcome will set the stage for what many are billing as the most anticipated presidential contest since Chavez’s first triumph in 1998, and Venezuelans on both sides of the nation’s political divide are eager to see who will emerge as the challenger....
I already smell vote fraud.
Several voters said they are optimistic the primary winner will have a strong shot at beating Chavez because the opposition is more united than in the past.
Isabel Gomez, 59, a lawyer, said she thinks a young and energetic candidate such as Henrique Capriles, 39, will appeal to voters more than an older president who has struggled with cancer.
Chavez, 57, says he is cancer-free after undergoing chemotherapy but doubts linger among some Venezuelans.
“I think people want a healthy president,’’ Gomez said.
As for the elections this year, she said, “it’s the last chance we have …. to achieve an opposition win and have democracy in this country.’’
--more--"
Related: Chavez's opponents gear up for Venezuela vote
Venezuelans vote to choose Chavez's challenger
Venezuela's opposition picks Chavez's challenger
Venezuelans choose young governor to oppose Chávez
Isn't that democracy?
"Chavez’s new foe seeks ‘balanced elections’" February 14, 2012
CARACAS - Presidential candidate Henrique Capriles called yesterday for “balanced elections’’ and criticized the use of government money and slanted coverage in Venezuela’s state media as President Hugo Chavez seeks reelection....
Is that ever a familiar feeling to me! I'm getting some of it right now.
Related: Chavez interrupts broadcast of rival's rally
Even after 13 years in office, Chavez remains a hero to many of his supporters and maintains a visceral connection to a significant segment of the poor in Venezuela.
Is it just me, or is the inference from my elitist pos negative?
He also is expected to use the full powers of his government and a bonanza of public spending to seek victory....
You know, the same thing Bush did and what Obama is doing now.
Voter turnout in the primary surpassed most expectations....
Let the vote-rigging begin! I think Venezuela uses Diebold machines!
Some of Capriles’s supporters think he has a good chance of winning over Venezuelans who otherwise might lean pro-Chavez because he has taken a largely nonconfrontational approach toward the president while promising solutions to problems. Those include 26 percent inflation and one of the highest murder rates in Latin America.
--more--"
Then the U.S. can accept a new ambassador, right?
"US orders Venezuelan diplomat home" Associated Press, January 09, 2012
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is expelling Venezuela’s consul general in Miami after allegations surfaced that she discussed possible cyberattacks on US soil while she was stationed at her country’s embassy in Mexico.
The State Department said yesterday that it had declared the diplomat, Livia Acosta Noguera, persona non grata and given her until tomorrow to leave the country. A spokesman, Mark Toner, said the Venezuelan government was notified of the decision on Friday, giving her 72 hours to depart under standard diplomatic procedure.
There was no immediate reaction from the Venezuelan government.
Chavez launched the program in typical style, attacking his political opponents and the US government while visiting an oil project in eastern Venezuela.
I'm tired of pot-hollering-kettle media.
He said his government should pull out of a World Bank-affiliated arbitration body and will not recognize its decisions in 17 pending cases, including several filed by US companies.
Oh, that couldn't have made the globalists happy. They don't care about the political system of a country as long as you buy into global institutions.
Also see: Chavez will ignore arbitration rulings
Another reason he's got to go.
Toner would not discuss the reason for the expulsion of the consul general, but the move follows an FBI investigation into allegations contained in a documentary aired by the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision last month. According to the film, “The Iranian Threat,’’ Acosta discussed a possible cyberattack against the US government when she was assigned to the Venezuelan Embassy in Mexico.
Oh, please, just STOP IT with the WAR PROPAGANDA!!!!
--more--"
For more on the coverage of Chavez's condition you can scroll my Venezuela file. It seems to have been a subject of particular interest to my agenda-pushing press.
