Hot Air » Blog Archive » Harkin stands up for Chavez: “I can understand the frustration”

Harkin stands up for Chavez: “I can understand the frustration”

posted at 3:26 pm on September 21, 2006 by Ian
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Democratic Senator Tom Harkin came out in defense today of Chavez’s speech to the UN in which the Venezuelan ~~dictator~~ ruler blasted President Bush as the devil:

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a democrat, today defended Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s United Nations speech in which Chavez called President George Bush the devil. Harkin said the comments were “incendiary”, then went on to say, “Let me put it this way, I can understand the frustration, ah, and the anger of certain people around the world because of George Bush’s policies.” Harkin continued what has been frequent criticism of the president’s foreign policy.

Update (Allahpundit): Congressman Bill Delahunt also understands the frustration.

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Par for the course.

CP on September 21, 2006 at 3:36 PM

Then go live in his country, Tom.

Tony737 on September 21, 2006 at 3:43 PM

Marxist Hugo Chavez Stumps for Democratic Party and they are having a hard time becoming outraged over his remarks.

Odd that Hrkin would come out in support after Rangle and Pelosi read the polls and realized they should show discontent over it.

LewWaters on September 21, 2006 at 3:46 PM

Well you just knew they couldn’t all keep their true feelings hidden, election season or otherwise. Thanks for the confirmation, Tom.

thirteen28 on September 21, 2006 at 3:49 PM

What a clown.

ar_basin on September 21, 2006 at 3:49 PM

This from an idiot who thinks a FUNERAL is a FUNDRAISER! “Let’s do it for Paul! CAN YOU SAY, “YES”?

What it does show you though is the common ideology among liberals, socialists, commies, and other scumbags. Notice how it doesn’t even OCCUR to Harkin that Chavez actually has no official ax to grind. He has no dog in this fight. We haven’t done anything with Venezula but buy their gas and enrich them! Harkin doesn’t even note that the only possible reason for Chavez’s anger against Bush, is his close relationship with good ol’ “ImMadInThe Head” of Iran. Which would lead anyone but an idiot to realize how dangerous Chavez is, listen, you judge a man by the company he keeps and when Chavez’ “comrades” are genocidal terrorist, holocaust deniers, and Danny Glover, that tells us all we need to know about him. Rather, IF the Republicans were smart, which I seriously doubt at this point folks, they would “associate” Harkin with Chavez’ remarks, ALL OF THEM. Including the ones where he praises terrorist in chief “ImMadInTheHead”. BTW when is the last time the Republicans went on the offense against a specific member or members of the disloyal opposition? Was it Clinton? Maybe they got kicked in the sack so hard on that one by the MSM, that they just bend over and grab the ankles first chance they get! They don’t have the balls to call Harkin on his traitorous thoughts which is sad, because at the end of the day Harkin AGREES with the terrorists on everything EXCEPT the killing of Americans, although he DOES think we “Deserve” it. Harkin (like a lot of libs), thinks that the U.S. is too big for it’s britches, he thinks that U.S. influence in the middle east has produced “understandable” hatred against us.
Last time I checked we weren’t in a SINGLE middle eastern country at ANY POINT IN LIFE, without the REQUEST OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THAT COUNTRY! Didn’t Kuwait yell for help when Saddam invaded? Aren’t the troops that are on Saudi “soil” there at the behest of the Saudi government, of which, Bin Laden was not a member?

There IS NO CASE for blaming our foreign policy. Did the U.S. occupy Arab land in 1948 and plop Israel down in their midst? THE DAMNED U.N IS THE ONE WHO PUT THEM THERE!!!!! Not us! All we’ve done is try to keep them from being massacred! SO anyone who thinks that these scumbags even have half a gripe is a Liar! That’s not what’s animating the buffoon known as Harkin, what’s animating him is all the gay assed, Euro socialist propaganda, he’s been reading and shoving up his butt all his life. Where the default view says, we’re the bad guys. Ever wonder why liberals are so afraid of the Gov getting libraries to give up their “reading lists”? Because therein lies their viewpoint of us, the world, God, the Devil and everything else that would tell us not to EVER TRUST THEM WITH ANYTHING.

Soothsayer on September 21, 2006 at 4:19 PM

These guys are seriously digging their own graves politicall speaking.

One Angry Christian on September 21, 2006 at 4:23 PM

Wow, why am I not surprised.

Catie96706 on September 21, 2006 at 4:25 PM

i hope more democrats like Harkin, come out & defend Chavez’s comments.

Starblazer on September 21, 2006 at 4:33 PM

I wonder how much money Chavez has illegally contributed to Harkin and other Democrats?

georgej on September 21, 2006 at 4:36 PM

Soothsayer- i agree with you 100%

Starblazer on September 21, 2006 at 4:37 PM

Let him talk. Let him talk. You can tell he’s not for reelection this year, but his compadre Rangel and his comadre Pelosi are. You can tell that makes a difference. Harkin has no focus group or election to care about.
(I may be mistaken about Harkin running for re-election. Please correct me if I’m wrong.)

batperez on September 21, 2006 at 4:44 PM

Chavez’s next speech:
“Not only are we going to Caracas, Tom Harkin, but we’re going to the Andes, Angel Falls, the Orinoco. And we’re going to Maracaibo, Barquisimeto, Valencia, Maracay, and Ciudad Guayana. And then we’re going to Washington DC to take back the White House and remove the sulfur smell! Servpro, like it never even happened! YAAAAAAAARGH!”

RightWinged on September 21, 2006 at 4:48 PM

RightWinged….I am…

ROFLMAO.

Soothsayer on September 21, 2006 at 4:57 PM

From the Hugh Hewett link:

Democrats are going to wake up on November 8 wondering why their promised landslide refused to materialize. Their echo chamber will assure them that it has to something to do with the wondrous evil genius of Karl Rove and a few crooked Diebold machines.

But the real reason is found in things like Bill Delahunt’s comments. The party has gotten into such a habit of Bush hatred, it can’t stop even for a minute and exhibit some responsible grown-up behavior. For what it’s worth, Delahunt is no Bill Moran or John Conyers. He’s a former prosecutor and firmly in the Democratic mainstream. More’s the pity.

When Sen. Harkin took off his coat at the Minn. funeral, the next day I bet a liberal colleague that they’d lose the MN seat. On election day I stayed up until 2a.m. to see if I’d won :)

Some things are never appropriate and create defining moments. Yesterday was one of them, a really big one.

The rats are trying to leave the latrine but the slime is pulling them back. So they devided into two camps, the Harkin camp on the one side and the Pelosi one on the ‘high road’. They think we are utterly stupid. Above all they think the independents and sane Democrats are complete morons.

What they haven’t realized yet, or maybe they have, is that Chavez’ speech was a unifier, just not for the Dems.

It elevated the WH to style and elegance and dropped the Chavez simpathizers into a deeper gutter. The decent Americans know this instinctively and no speech or commentary about it can alter that.

Fellow HOTAiRs, yesterday was BIG, as Mr. Bean would say, and as we are going to witness soon.

Entelechy on September 21, 2006 at 5:06 PM

Guess Harkin didn’t get the DNC memo?

I hate to be such a cynic, but Rangel and Pelosi are so out of character I have to question the timing. ;-)

bamapachyderm on September 21, 2006 at 5:14 PM

Maybe Hugo is funneling low cost heating oil loans to Harkin.

It is surprising how low the demo-rats selling point is. Glad he can empathize and feeeeeeeeeeel Hugo’s pain.

Mallard T. Drake on September 21, 2006 at 5:15 PM

RightWinged

And then we’re going to Washington DC to take back the White House and remove the sulfur smell! Servpro, like it never even happened! YAAAAAAAARGH!”

Bwhahaahaaahaha!!! That’s friggin’ great.

techno_barbarian on September 21, 2006 at 5:15 PM

The Delahunt comments are breathtaking.

May I question his patriotism?

Consumed by BDS.

JammieWearingFool on September 21, 2006 at 5:45 PM

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Hugo was trying to get Howard Dean’s job.

GT on September 21, 2006 at 5:53 PM

Let Pelosi, Rangel, Harkin, Delahunt, et al keep up with their “defense” of Bush and those in defense of Chavez’s speech in their talks to the public. They’ll just confuse the hell out of any potential voters this November.

Kokonut on September 21, 2006 at 6:00 PM

JammieWearingFool

The Delahunt comments are breathtaking.

May I question his patriotism?

Consumed by BDS.

Well, you know what they say… Ask forgiveness, not permission. ;o)

techno_barbarian on September 21, 2006 at 6:03 PM

Senator Harkin….there’s a Mrs. Baylock here to see you.

The Ugly American on September 21, 2006 at 6:15 PM

maybe the Republicans have a good chance of winning the House / Senate & even the White House in 08′. as long as the Dems continue to confuse independent voters

Starblazer on September 21, 2006 at 6:39 PM

I’ve believed this goon to be irrelevant years ago and forgettable even longer.

doingwhatican on September 21, 2006 at 7:53 PM

I believe that both Harkin, and Delahunt deserve credit. Instead of pandering, they have stood firm on their beliefs. So what if it is about as Un-American as you can get. At least they were honest.

DannoJyd on September 21, 2006 at 8:42 PM

At least he’s honest and not trying to make believe he’s offended. This clown could get elected if he ran as a Dem, or at least they probably think so.

Hening on September 21, 2006 at 9:11 PM

Harkin’s been a major league asshole for decades, witness his trip to Nicaragua with John F-ing Kerry to polish Dan Orgega’s knob. (For those of you in Rio Linda, that would be Dan Ortega, the communist.)

He’s one of the Dems that likes to call everyone else a chickenhawk because he served in the military. The guy is a damned Marxist, and you simply can’t get to the left of him, no matter how far you go.

I guess the only reason we never hear from him is because he’s from Iowa. But he’s a genuine swine.

Jaibones on September 21, 2006 at 10:03 PM

I statred to boycott CITGO over 4 years ago when people startied to realize that he was really “Fidel Jr.” I’m glad to see that others are finally realizing that he is a threat to the region and the US. Chavez’s government earns most of its cash through petro-dollars. CITGO is the way Chavez gets US dollars to finance his government. A governemtn that has for quite some time been pro-Hezbollah, pro-Hamas and working towards a marxist takeover of the Americas. Please, tell everyone not to purchase CITGO products.

immigration inspectr on September 21, 2006 at 10:45 PM

I suppose Harkin believes George Bush blew up the World Trade Center buildings as well??

gary on September 22, 2006 at 11:30 AM