Clare Sammells
Miguel Centellas
Maria Bruno
Sara Simon
Chris Exner
Kate McGurn Centellas
Claudine Vallières
Jonathan
Andres Vaughan
Donna Yates
kylepiispanen
dpacificoThis video shows Greg Craig, speaking at George Washington University on August 1, 2008. Craig was a former support of the Clintons who is now a foreign policy advisor to Obama.
He’s asked to address the possible extradiction of former Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. He acknowledges “Goni’s” involvement in the events of 2003, but “we do not accept your characaterization of those events as a massacre.” He says there were no crimes against humanity, genocide, disappearances, or torture, but rather, “tragically, civil disturbances which cost lives.” He also called this this an attempt to overthrow the elected government by armed demonstrators (specifically referring to what happened in El Alto and the attack on the convoy leaving Sorata).
Filed under: Politics, U.S.-Latin American relations
Thanks Clare, this is really interesting. I’m not surprised to find that there are people in the Obama campaign who are also close to Goni. If you saw the movie “Our Brand Is Crisis”, the company Goni hired to run his election has run a lot of Democratic elections, including the Clintons and Gore. I’m surprised, however, that Greg Craig is actually a legal advisor to Goni! It will be interesting to see what influence this has over Obama’s relations with Bolivia (I’m being optimistic here!) although Craig clearly states he is trying to keep a distance with respect to Obama and Bolivia.
At least there is someone very informed about Bolivia!!!
Isn’t that strange? Small world. Perhaps one of us should write something about that specifically. But I agree, at least he knows where Bolivia is. I wonder why, then, Obama hasn’t released a statement about the situation there?