Correa's "lurch to the left" (U.S. Amb. Heather Hodges)

[rabs]

New wikileaks cable became known today in Quito. Is it any wonder Correa is pissed off at Heather?

The whole episode is amusing --- yesterday Correa said Hodges was from the U.S. extreme right; today we find out that in a secret cable Hodges was saying that Correa had taken a sharp left turn :rofl:

Hodges is expected to abandon Ecuador before week's end.

Foreign Minister Patino today said the "honor" of Correa was much more important than preferential tax breaks by the U.S. for Ecuadoran exports. (Some Demo congressman was making noises yesterday about not approving the tax breaks this year.)

Patino said he hoped the U.S. would send another ambassador soon, that Hodges had been kicked out not for any argument with the Obama administration, but for her personal conduct.

In Quito, the attorney general's office of Pichincha Province said the former police chief Hurtado and five other officers would be investigated of the charges Hodges made against them.


Spanish article from El Comercio of Quito

http://www4.elcomercio.com/politica/Heather-Hodges-preocupaba-radicalizacion-Correa-izquierda.aspx

----------------

(Jan. 2009 secret cable)

Classified By: Ambassador Heather Hodges for reason 1.4 (D)

¶1. (C) Summary: President Correa's rhetoric and actions in
the last two months have veered off the pattern we witnessed
during much of his earlier presidency. A harder left
orientation is evidenced by his trips to Iran and Cuba, debt
default, and sharp attacks on the U.S. In the past, while
conceding enough to keep his far-left political bases happy,
he acted pragmatically more often than not, and aside from
the aftermath of the March 1 Colombian incursion only
occasionally criticized the U.S. The reasons behind this
shift remain murky. We are advising the GOE of the
consequences of its actions (Ref A). End Summary.

LURCH TO THE LEFT

¶2. (C) Over the past two months, Correa has taken an
increasingly leftist, anti-American posture, apparently
unconcerned that his actions would result in frayed ties with
the United States:

(Horrors, Heather was NOT invited to lunch)

-- Correa closed out 2008 by inviting the ambassadors of
Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Iran, China and Russia for a
December 30 New Year's luncheon, a slap in the face for the
rest of the diplomatic corps.

(Ye gads, Correa kept Heather cooling her heels)

-- The President's office continued to defer the Ambassador's
request for a meeting, which Correa had agreed to when she
presented credentials on October 2 (Ref B). Two close
presidential advisors promised to arrange such a meeting for
December (Ref C), but it has still not transpired.

(As time goes by .... Heather won't be around to see Correa's "true colors.")

¶10. (C) COMMENT: Only time will tell whether Correa's
behavior in recent months shows his true colors. Some
analysts suggest we will not know for sure until after the
April 26 election when the composition of the National
Assembly may push him in one direction or another. In the
meantime, we are conveying the message in private that
Correa's actions will have consequences for his relationship
with the new Obama Administration, while avoiding public
comments that would be counterproductive. We do not
recommend terminating any USG programs that serve our
interests since that would only weaken the incentive for
Correa to move back into a more pragmatic mode. However, we
cut off support for a Department of Homeland
Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement vetted unit when
the Police Commander (WAS THIS HURTADO???)insisted on a new leader who was not
subject to polygraphing, which is required for all vetted
unit personnel. We will do the same if any of our other
programs lose integrity.

The cable, makes for interesting reading

http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/01/09QUITO15.html

[EFerrari]

1. LOL.

They hate it that they can't call Correa, an economist, a Commie. So "left turn" is as good as it gets.

[Peace Patriot]

5. I think the "lurch" came when Correa lurched out of the gunsights of the CIA assets in the police

force who were gunning for him.

Nothing like foiling all that CIA planning to really piss off U.S. ambassadors and their transglobal corporate/war profiteer masters in Washington.

(I think this was also the case with Hurtado. U.S. plot failed, whatever it was. So Hodges smeared him--either to cover her own ass, or to provide "talking points" BS to somebody.)

[EFerrari]

6. Cable was written after FARC attack and before coup attempt

right?

Maybe the "lurch" was objecting to the border violation and not playing ball with that mass murderer, Uribe.

[Peace Patriot]

7. Yeah, you're right. But I think The Lurch ought become a new dance in Latin America.

The Chavez Lurch, the Morales Lurch, the Correa Lurch out of harm's way. Correa's was the most acrobatic--arms overhead to deter tear gas, nightsticks, knives and bullets.

I can only make this joke because they survived.

------------------------

Seriously, you're absolutely right. I had the sequence wrong. First he lurched left, then they tried to off him. But actually I don't quite grasp what the "lurch" left was. Correa has always been an unapologetic leftist. Did he refuse a bribe or something? An academic sinecure at Georgetown, if only he would suborn the judge in Chevron's favor? Maybe they threw a Swedish asset at him and he didn't fall for it (--as Assange unfortunately did). Something pissed her off. But I'm finding it hard to parse what "lurching left" meant to her and the Bushwhackos.

[rabs]

8. Looks like the only lurch was in Heather's mind

Strange that Heather Hodges did not know that Correa since 2006 has publicly characterized himself as a leftist. From her cable it appears she only found out after she was appointed ambassador by dubya in 2008.

Can she really be that uninformed, or as PP says, is she covering her behind for the police/DEA/ICE scandal? Or maybe some sort of USG footprints in in the failed Sept. 30 attempted coup against Correa by sectors of the police?


------------------------------

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño met with Correa today. About the "lurch," Patiño said:

-- The government has never lied about its ideological posture and Correa has always presented himself as a "man of the left."

-- From when Correa first ran in the 2006 presidential campaign, he said was a left. "President Correa is one of those who say one thing and do something else, he is not one who says one thing to the press and privately does other things. We do what we say."

-- The FM said diplomatic relations with the USG are not in "crisis" and they will be handled at the charge d' affairs level, we are not at war."

-- He admitted the situation with Washington was "not normal," but denied the situation was "grave" or that it had "deteriorated. Of course relations have been affected if we do not have ambassadors, but the relations between our two nations remain the same."

-- If the USG denies tax breaks for Ecuadoran exports to the U.S., he said the government would help the exporters and look for alternate markets.

Spanish, El Comercio of Quito

http://www4.elcomercio.com/politica/relaciones_ecuador_eeuu_crisis.aspx

[EFerrari]

9. I think "left" is code for "uncooperative.

:shrug:

[Judi Lynn]

10. It's good to see someone allowing those threats about economic punishment bounce off him.

Of course he already knows he's going to be a target as long as he's President. I'm sure they all knew about "jackels" from the first.

Hope he can trust his bodyguards.

[naaman fletcher]

2. It's the debt default that is the real problem,

The banks don't hesitate to default on their debt, but nobody else is allowed to.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Sounds as if Heather Hodges could use a nice long rest in the countryside.

She worked herself up considerably.

http://cdn3.iofferphoto.com.nyud.net:8090/img/item/174/417/033/cmGP.jpg
F'r instance.

[Peace Patriot]

4. LOL! nt