Novak on Nicaragua

Robert Novak's column on the elections in Nicaragua is interesting on several fronts. For starters let's look at the title, Losing Nicaragua, Again. Right up front Novak is assuming that it's the US's to lose. This of course represents the imperialist corporate ideology that large multi-national corporations own the world.

The seemingly unavoidable outcome of next Sunday's election is a Nicaraguan tragedy, losing at the ballot box what was won two decades ago by the blood of contra fighters and the risking of Ronald Reagan's presidency.

Now the low point if Reagan's presidency was this illegal meddling in Nicaragua fueled by the Iran-Contra affair.

Because the anti-Sandinista vote is split, Ortega figures to return his Marxist-Leninist party -- now backed by Hugo Chávez's Venezuelan petrodollars -- to the presidential palace. Apart from the misery to be inflicted on the Nicaraguan people, this reflects the deterioration of U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere under the Bush administration.

A couple of interesting points here. First; "the misery to be inflicted on the Nicaraguan people" by a "Marxist-Leninist party". Yes, Novak is resurrecting an old bogeyman that worked to justify US intervention to protect the interests of US and multi-national corporations in Centeral and South America. Sorry Bob, this is 2006 and this bogeyman sounds silly now. The second point is that at least Novak recognizes that after 6 years of Bush/Cheney the US has little or no influence anywhere. And of course he tries to make that miserable felon Oliver North into a saintly freedom fighter once again when we all know he is a dangerous lunatic.

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