October 19, 2006
It seems that despite a frenzy of free oil and Noam Chomsky books, the voting marathon for the Latin American seat on the Security Council may not yield a win for Venezuela. They're in the 22nd round, and still no joy for Cindy Sheehan's biggest fan.
Watching countries lobbying for security council votes always reminded us of something akin to a student council election, only a bit less mature (Chavez's "devil" speech didn't win him any friends), and with less creative knickknacks.
The delegates' tables soon became a clutter of pamphlets, with the leftist-populist Chávez delegation dominating the literature.Delegates also received a small bag with sweets from Venezuela, while Guatemalan diplomats handed out an embroidered wristband.
Of course, the best campaign in this election is the one being run behind the scenes, by a man our own Senate still hasn't confirmed, John Bolton.
Bolton this week neatly organized a majority coalition to block Hugo Chavez's Venezuela from getting the Latin American seat on the Security Council.Hopefully, anyway. Voting resumes today and will probably continue into the forseeable future. Guatemala is digging in, and Chavez, well, he has to keep fighting - otherwise it's back to sneaking into dictators-anonymous meetings, more Chomsky book clubs, and trips to Fidel Castro's "bedside".A nation needs two-thirds of the 192-member General Assembly to win a two-year term on the council. After a near-record 22 rounds of voting Monday and Tuesday, U.S.-backed Guatemala ended with 102 votes, while Venezuela was way back with 77. Speculation grew that both countries will eventually withdraw in favor of a consensus candidate, such as Chile.
Make no mistake, though; the rejection of Venezuela is a victory for the United States - and for Bolton.
Chavez has been the bully on the regional block for years, capitalizing on Venezuela's oil wealth. He's been adopted by Cuba's ailing Fidel Castro, and thus stands to step in as the region's left-wing champion for the 21st Century.
A seat on the Security Council would give Chavez an international platform to spew his anti-American rhetoric - much as he used his address to the General Assembly last month to attack President Bush.
Thanks to Bolton, that likely won't happen.
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