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Maverick Colombian senator risks her life

Maverick Colombian senator risks her life ( source www.miamiherald.com )

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BOGOTA -- Sen. Piedad Córdoba emerged from the Senate chamber here on a recent night, clutching her side.

''My stomach hurts,'' she told an aide. ``It's all this stress.''

No wonder. Ten bodyguards now accompany her around Colombia after a series of death threats. People on the street insult her, and she must wait in a secure place for other passengers to board an airplane before she gets on, after a verbal altercation at Bogotá's airport in January.

A kidnap victim herself who has long worked on behalf of Colombia's dispossessed, Córdoba has been in the headlines over the past three months for her work to secure the freedom of six hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a Marxist guerrilla group known as the FARC.

But most Colombians believe that in doing so, she has become too cozy with the FARC and Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chávez. Both are almost universally disliked in Colombia.

''She's Chávez's alter ego,'' said Sen. Jorge Visbál, a political foe.

So while many analysts expect Córdoba to run for president in 2010 with Chávez's support, pollster Juan Lemoine discounts her odds.

''She has less than a 5 percent chance of winning,'' Lemoine said.

Córdoba soldiers on.

''They've always tried to shut me up,'' Córdoba told The Miami Herald during several interviews that started in Bogotá and ended in Caracas. ``I'm against the Establishment. Many people on the left don't want to rock the Establishment and not be invited to cocktail parties. Nobody invites me. The only list I'm on is of those to be killed.''

Córdoba said she has already survived eight attempts on her life. One killed two of her police guards while another maimed her driver.

And that was before she sought the controversial and high-profile role of trying to free hostages held for years by the FARC, while Colombian President Alvaro Uribe waged an unrelenting war against the FARC, backed with U.S. aid.

Córdoba joined with Chávez, and they won Uribe's reluctant support to try to get the FARC to free hostages. The guerrillas unilaterally released two in January and four more in February.

''Without her efforts and the mediation of Chávez, we wouldn't be free today,'' former Sen. Luis Eladio Pérez, freed in February, told The Miami Herald. ``When Colombia had forgotten the Colombians in the jungle, she was fighting on our behalf. Whether or not you like her ideas, she is someone the country needs. She's not doing this to win votes.''

Results from a Gallup poll earlier this month showed Córdoba had a disapproval rating of 69 percent in the country's four biggest cities, up from only 32 percent late last year.

''A lot of people don't understand why she was speaking badly of Colombia and Uribe in Venezuela,'' said Carlos Santos, a Bogotá taxi driver. ``It's like talking badly about your family with strangers.''

Indeed, Córdoba openly embraces Chávez and doesn't mince words when asked about Uribe, who enjoyed an astounding 84 percent approval rating in the March poll, while Chávez had an equally astonishing 90 percent disapproval rating.

''Chávez is a humanitarian,'' Córdoba said. ``I'm a Chávista.''

As for Uribe, ''he is a war-monger,'' Córdoba added. ``Colombia is a Mafia state, and Uribe is the boss.''

Ironically, Uribe and Córdoba both hail from Medellín in the central Colombia state of Antioquia. But the similarities end there.

He is a conservative and the scion of a land-owning family. FARC guerrillas killed his father in 1983.

Córdoba is an avowed socialist whose father was black and her mother white. Both of her parents were teachers. She was the second of 10 children.

Córdoba, 53, said she was one of only three blacks among the 300 students at her law school. She was a student activist then and worked afterward with political activists on behalf of blacks, women, gays and the poor in general.

She raised four children, got divorced and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 and the Senate two years later. Senators are elected nationwide.

In 1999, right-wing paramilitaries kidnapped her, but public appeals secured her freedom 16 days later. She took a leave from the Senate and fled to Montreal where she went to work for the United Nations. She returned to Colombia two years later and was reelected to the 102-member Senate.

Córdoba moved easily among the powerful in a Senate ante-chamber recently. Sitting at a corner table, she accepted hugs and kisses from colleagues. ''She is a brave woman,'' Sen. Luis Fernando Velasco said, after greeting Córdoba. ``She says what she thinks, even though this might hurt her politically. People have started to view her as an enemy of the state. That isn't fair.''

In a room full of gray suits and light-skinned men, Córdoba stood out with her dark hue and all-pink outfit -- pant suit, high heel shoes and her trademark turban that she said honors her African heritage. Given her high-profile status, it wasn't surprising that a caricaturist in the ante-chamber chose her as a subject. Córdoba smiled through gritted teeth when given the drawing. It showed Chávez putting his arm around her.

''They say Chávez is my lover,'' Córdoba said the following evening, shaking her head. ``They also say I'm a lesbian. I haven't gone out with anyone in years. Who wants to go out with me given all the negative attention I attract?''

Córdoba said the public ire has taken its toll.

''This work is very exhausting,'' she said on the terrace of the Gran Meliá Hotel in Caracas where the Chávez government puts her up. ``The [Colombian] government has sold the media on the idea that I'm very dangerous. It hurts me.''

A FARC e-mail recovered by the government from a slain guerrilla's laptop called her a ''friend'' and said her candidacy would have ''our support,'' even as it said she would remain a faithful member of the opposition Liberal Party.

Córdoba denied having plans to run for president. Instead, she said she will keep working to get the FARC and the Uribe administration to agree to swap 40 high-profile kidnap victims for 500 or so jailed guerrillas.

Eventually, Córdoba said, she hopes to help secure a FARC cease-fire in exchange for the guerrillas being incorporated into civil society.

''I could teach or work with the United Nations,'' she said in Caracas. ``But I'm committed to the peace process. It's more important to try to move forward than to do nothing or to retire. I can't remain quiet given what is happening in Colombia.''

By DodgerDogs on 2008-03-24 22:09:07 in Politics & the war.

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:13:

Even if you do not like her , you have to admit she has courage.
www.michoco.org

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:22:

"to run for president in 2010 with Chávez's support"...
jajaj. this should get her FAR(c) in the presidential election.

DodgerDog... look; I have not read the entire article.
Man, you post the best damn articles here. Really.

But, this is already reminding me of another VERY COURAGEOUS COLOMBIANA:
... and now, near dead: INGRID B'T'COURT.

IS SHE ... courageous?
Where do we draw the line between courage and stupidity?
We've been down this road before.

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:25:

no one has to admit she has 'courage'.
(Personally,... I think she must have the 'HOTS FOR CHAVEZ')

jajja. nothing more.

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:26:

maybe she can get dual citizenship, or even renounce her
Colombian citizenship and be his vice.

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:33:

I would not vote for Sen. Piedad Córdoba , but I do commend her on her work with Afro- Colombians and the other causes in Colombia.

I do think she took her friendship with Hugo Chavez a little far, and should not have hugged
a Farc leader.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:36:

They once Black listed this dude and called him a commie.

Bang Bang Pete Seeger Silver Hammer

Then 30 years later they honored him in the White House.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:39:

she hugged a Farc Leader?
jaja.. I've heard of people having a 'death wish' before,
but this is taking it to the extreme ;-)

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:45:

GS: Rumor has it she was seen hugging this dude, I forget his name.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:47:

yeah, ... what's her name?
she should go live in the jungle for 2 or 3 months.
See what it's REALLY like.
that beatch would come back beggin for some modern conveniences along with some REPUBLICANISM.

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 22:49:

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
GS: Dont get mad but she is cheating on you

That is why most Colombians do not like her, as she posed with some evil monsters with blood on their hands.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 23:21:

She is another...................DOG.

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 23:24:

Nope she is a pato mala

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

goin_south says on Monday March 24th, 2008 23:27:

DodgerDog, ... what do you get, when you cross a Pastusa with a Bad Duck?

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

DodgerDogs says on Monday March 24th, 2008 23:51:

Duck: when you cross a Pastusa with a Pato you get something like this.

half breed doll

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.Martin Luther King:

jack_jason says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 2:01:

I do not mind they release of 500 hundred terrorists narco-guerrilleros if all of them are to be taken to France for good and then they loose the Colombian citizenship.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

Chriscan says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 3:31:

Is everyone on PBH that rich and miserable?

************* WARNING ************* my words often come from my ass

gato-bandido says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 5:48:

No one likes traitors. Not even their new masters.

jack_jason says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 6:44:

If she had studied a master or PHD in Economics science, she would not have said what she said to several Latin-American countries about cutting relations with Colombia. Just think every one for a moment what would have been the economic damage or disaster suffered by Colombia (people and not the government) if the economic ties between several Latin-American countries and Colombia had been broken. That economic damage was to be thanked to Cordoba's tongue. Did she think for 20 seconds, just 20 seconds that by cutting multilateral relations with Colombia, the Colombian government was going to suffer? the Colombian Government has got enough money to leave the country and blame this woman for what she did to the country. It was the Colombian people who could have suffered if that retaliation against our country had happened.

Now, how can some one be such hypocrite and arrogant to speak about paramilitaries and the government when that person is linked to the terrorist narco-guerrillas FARC, the biggest mafia group in Colombia and the world?. People say that thanks to Cordoba, some people are free. Well, she is part of the FARC then (as per the above pictures and other pictures I have seen), why she does not free the rest of people?. It is like to say that we have to be grateful to the kidnaper for freeing the kidnapped or be thankful to the killer for apologising to the dead person's family. Cordoba wants all her friends (narco-guerrilleros) to be freed. It is like to say that Osama Bin laden wants all the terrorists held by the USA freed, then, he will not terrorise USA citizens any more.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

Cerealkiller says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 6:55:

I don't like her, some of her declarations truly pissed me off, and that proximity with Chavez is just plain creepy. But I have to say she is admirable in the sense that she obviously believes in what she's doing. In a recent interview she said her allegiances are with the kidnapped, and she will do everything in her power to get them back home. She said she doesn't care about political suicide or the fact that her party ostracizes her, and I think that is, in a way, the way I wish politicians were. Most of these jackasses don't do shit about anything because they're only belief in life is re-election and that is truly despicable.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

RonDubya says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 9:08:

Hey DodgerDogs, looks like you ar a fan of the Weavers. I thought I was the only one old enough to remember them.

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

juancegomez says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 9:10:

She's always been a very controversial individual, and the current situation hardly changes that.

I definitely appreciate the humanitarian side of her efforts, despite her apparent mistakes, but I don't exactly agree with all her other positions and words, outside of the other positive work she has done for minorities and the like.

However, there is no reason to harm or kill her, at all. She has the right to believe in what she believes and say what she may say, even if we think she may be partially or completely wrong sometimes, depending on the subject.

Finally, it does take some bravery to continue doing what she does, with all its flaws and so forth, in such a dangerous climate.

andresito360 says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 14:01:

she is a guerrillera, I seriously have no idea why she is not dead yet.

chrispej says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 20:27:

"she is a guerrillera, I seriously have no idea why she is not dead yet."

They're working on it.......

Alma del Norte says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 20:59:

"she is a guerrillera, I seriously have no idea why she is not dead yet."

"They're working on it......."

Posters from the US & US citizen in Colombia...

Sums up everything bad about this country. Murder follows crass labels, as easily as that. You really need to grow up.

romy says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 22:48:

eltiempo.com / politica

Oposición arremetió contra Presidenta del Congreso por cuestionar a Piedad Córdoba

Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez reprochó a Córdoba por decir el pasado 14 de marzo, en Caracas, que en Colombia hay un Estado mafioso. Córdoba se quejó de que la tildan de guerrillera por hacer oposición.

Además le recriminó que le haya pedido, el año pasado en México, a "los gobiernos progresistas de América Latina" romper relaciones con Colombia. "No se puede andar olímpicamente por el mundo entero desprestigiando a nuestro país, cuando estamos haciendo grandes esfuerzos (la gran mayoría de senadores, de representantes a la cámara, como la mayoría del país, no somos narcotraficantes ni estaos vinculados con grupos al margen de la ley", dijo.

Gutiérrez reseñó algunas cartas que, dijo, han llegado a la Presidencia del Senado preguntando por qué el Congreso no se pronunciaba. Citó la misiva de alguien llamado "Ciro Alberto Montañez M.D.", que recuerda las acusaciones que en escenarios internacionales ha hecho Piedad y pide "investigar con qué dineros está haciendo todos estos gastos", en el exterior.

El senador liberal Héctor Elí Rojas, intervino y le pregunto si esa persona (Ciro Montañez) no sería el mismo "amigo personal del presidente �?lvaro Uribe Vélez". "No lo sé -contestó Gutiérrez-. Me trajeron de la Presidencia del Senado algunos de los mensajes que han llegado sobre los pronunciamientos de la senadora Piedad Córdoba, por lo que de buena fe he hecho lectura de ellos".

Llegó el turno de Piedad. Y a pesar de que los periodistas estaban avisados de lo que haría Gutiérrez, parece que Piedad no tenía ni idea. "Me hubiera gustado que no me hubieran cogido con los calzones abajo, que el debate lo hubieran planteado con cuestionario".

Sin embargo, no se retractó de ninguna de las fuertes palabras que ha usado en los últimos meses: "Estoy en contra del status quo mafioso de este país (...) Esa cultura mafiosa que se entrona, se ve en la falta de garantías", reafirmó. Incluso, sobre lo que dijo en México dijo que tenía derecho a decirlo.

Explicó que es agredida en todos los aeropuertos a los que llega y, para no ir muy lejos, contó que el pasado lunes de pascua, en Miami, le gritaron "¡Asesina! ¡Guerrillera!". "Senadora -dijo dirigiéndose a Gutiérrez- no soy ni lo uno ni lo otro".

Y siguió: "A mí no me pueden poner a escoger entre la guerrilla y la institucionalidad (...) Estoy molesta con un Congreso donde hay una cantidad de personas comprometidas con el paramilitarismo". Además, recordó que en la cárcel está Jorge Noguera, quien fue nombrado por el propio presidente Uribe como director del DAS.

Cuando a Piedad le dijeron en la dirección del Senado que su intervención se había pasado del límite, ella reprochó: "Ustedes me quieren hacer matar ante la opinión pública, y ahora no puedo defenderme".

El senador del Polo democrático Gustavo Petro respaldó a Córdoba y coincidió con ella en que Colombia es un estado mafioso. Aseguró que en el país se tilda de guerrillero a quienes hacen oposición y que es muy bueno en las encuestas utilizar un lenguaje guerrerista y que invita a la violencia.

A esta hora, otros congresistas intervienen en la discusión.

goin_south says on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 23:02:

thanks, DD.. but, you should have posted that downstairs on the 'kid photos' thread...

NO MAS........ MARINERO YERRI'S... ;-(

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