Posted by
Richard on Friday, September 01, 2006 5:37:33 PM
The First Word: Why we met with Hugo Chavez Israel Singer
THE JERUSALEM POST
Aug. 31, 2006
"Permit a Brooklyn-bred Jew the use of British understatement: "Ceaucescu was no saint." He was a warped megalomaniac who had no respect for the idea of human rights and ruthlessly trampled on the dignity of his citizens - reducing them to impoverished helots. He threatened the use of anti-Semitism and on occasion made good on that threat - all the while maintaining an independent policy toward Israel and ransoming "his" Jews...In forceful language, Chavez told us that he has no quarrels with the Jews of Venezuela...But this week, since that hopeful encounter, one must come to believe that the skeptics may have been right and that our willingness to give Chavez the benefit of the doubt was naive. More and more, it seems that ours was a confrontation with a shameless friend of evil."
This really should come as no surprise. And maybe it was just a hopeful optimism that lead Mr. Singer to this meeting in the first place. It is hard for me to imagine how a leader of a nation that has repeatedly shown his hatedred of the United States, has hobknobbed with Islamic leaders and has continually made anti-semtic remarks would be anything that what he appears.
One is reminded here of Chamberlian after meeting with Adolf Hitler and his statement of "Peace in our Time" There is no doubt that Chamberlain negotiated in all honesty and sincerity, but needless to say, Hitler, as true to form as all despots, had no intentions of keeping any agreement, unless it was politically neccessary for the moment.For more commentary Click here