Overplaying his hand?
Posted by Greg on October 25, 2006
The New York Times is reporting that our friend Mr. Chavez of Venezuela may have overplayed his hand during his tirades at the United Nations.
Now it appears that Mr. Chávez’s histrionic performance — styled to win him support from the United States’ many detractors at the United Nations — may have cost his country the seat on the Security Council that he has conducted a global campaign to win.
Developing nations make up a vast majority of the 192 countries in the General Assembly and generally warm to rants against Washington. But they also value the United Nations as a place where their voices can be heard in a dignified setting, and both supporters and detractors here say Mr. Chávez may have miscalculated in turning it into his bully pulpit.
Interesting. Venezuela has agreed to drip its bid for the Security Council seat if Guatemala, which it considers too US-friendly, agrees to do the same. Possible substitutes include Bolivia, which is friendly to Chavez, and Costa Rica.
Perhaps the best observation comes from Capt. Ed:
When a head of state alienates the UN General Assembly for being too anti-American, he has really crossed a line. It’s like The Vatican’s College of Cardinals rejected a papal candidate for being a little too Catholic.
