ABC News has a bit more on that FARC document that had a reference to “gringos” who were certain that Obama would be the next president, and that he would end U.S. aid to the Colombian government called “Plan Columbia.”
References to U.S. diplomatic overtures are scintillating, if vague.
In a Dec. 11 message to the secretariat, Marquez writes: “If you are in agreement, I can receive Jim and Tucker to hear the proposal of the gringos.”
The same message says an Italian referred to only as Consolo has told Marquez “the European Parliament wants to get involved in the prisoner exchange.”
Writing two days before his death, Reyes tells his secretariat comrades that “the gringos,” working through Ecuador’s government, are interested “in talking to us on various issues.”
“They say the new president of their country will be (Barack) Obama,” noting that Obama rejects both the Bush administration’s free trade agreement with Colombia and the current military aid program.
Reyes said the response he relayed is that the United States would have to publicly express that desire.
After wondering if I was nuts (or more than usual), or perhaps taking a document translation too seriously, the story is starting to get some attention around the blogosphere – John at Powerline, LGF, the editors of Foreign Policy magazine, Gateway Pundit, Jawa Report.
John wants some reporter to ask Obama, “whether his staff has been engaging in diplomatic outreach to a Communist group bent on overthrowing a U.S. ally.”
First, I’m not sure if we want that to be one of the eight questions we’re allowed every time Obama lowers himself to this plane of existence for a press availability. Second, if they say “absolutely not,” didn’t they say the same thing about anyone affiliated with the campaign meeting with the Canadians?