Amado Boudou. Reminiscences of Oliver North

While the 'press conference' given by Amado Boudou at the Senate extended beyond thirty minutes, some of whom were able to follow it quickly saw a detail. The former Cristina Fernandez Wilhelm's favorite seemed to be paying a tribute to Oliver North, retired Lt. Col. of the U.S. Marine Corps. The aforementioned figure rose to fame in the old days of the Pax Reaganiana in the mid-eighties, having mediated between Washington and Tehran with the aim to release a handful of nationals who were held hostage in Lebanon by a pro-Iranian militia, trading them against the clandestine delivery of sensitive weapons (TOW missiles and surface-to-air ordnance). In the midst of the thorny affair, and in order not to violate the arms embargo declared under the Boland Amendment, it is commented that the sponsors of the transfer even laid hands on money-laundering operations and exploited the Marxist infiltration of Central America issue to divert attention from the media (Iran-Contra Scandal or Irangate). But it wasn't this dark trim of intrigue what catapulted the former Marine to stardom; this took place soon after the intricate testimony he would eventually offer at Capitol Hill. After being granted the proper guarantees -Fifth Amendment, "No one will be forced to testify against himself" [privileges, in the local cuisine] - Ollie North shared a collection of extravagant explanations that didn't help convince almost anyone in relation to the process. In spite of the remarkable series of merits accumulated along his career -North was a senior advisor to the National Security Council- the public and the media eventually crucified him, satirizing his parliamentary speech and labeling him as the typical public official, well trained in the art of lying and the selective forgery of data.

As we had previously suggested (http://www.elojodigital.com/contenido/10596-billetera-mata-galan-ciccone-mata-aime-la-campora-mata-boudou, Spanish only), the Ciccone/Vandenbroele affaire served the only purpose of dividing the waters among the staunchest defenders of Mr. Amado Boudou. By this time, that gap seems to have deepened even further and there are a few examples: Florencio Randazzo -Minister of Interior- chose to 'wash his hands' in the face of the Vice-President. Nilda Garré -Security- decided to praise judge Daniel Rafecas, in charge of the process. Gabriel Mariotto -second to the Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli- introduced a kickback supporting Boudou, now an icon that has fallen into the worst self-inflicted misfortunes. Nevertheless, the weakest backup has recently emerged from the extremely fragile political youth organization La Cámpora (supporters of the Federal Government). Along the corridors of power, the group is syndicated to be the primary responsible for the declassification of Amado Boudou's sins, having shared documents and data to the mainstream media -including the GOA's public enemy number one, Diario Clarín-. The role of the camporistas tends to be categorized as a steamy counterintelligence or media intoxication operation that observes an ambivalent target: on one hand, the goal seems to be favoring the Vice President's demise and, on the other, forcing national newspapers Clarín and La Nación to be exposed as obscure powers whose aim is to undermine the Government's populist agenda. It must also be pointed out that both publications have fallen into the trap of presenting proofs against Boudou and other officials as if they were part of a downright coordinated plot. Furthermore, anyone could perceive that the permanence of the President's Beloved at the front pages will contribute to vanish the importance of the recent tragedy of Once, a certainly explosive cocktail with political and social consequences most feared by the Pink House.

The Vice-President situation is -albeit obvious to say- fragile. The 'press conference' he offered before Congress has shown many points worth analyzing, but it is suggested to focus only on a couple of them. Although the Mar del Plata native recognized being a neophyte in what comes to political matters, he has proved to be a fast-learner. Especially when he mentioned the relationship between the well-known journalist Gustavo Sylvestre and major characters in office.

Boudou's diatribe against the casino operator firm Boldt S.A. and his detailed recapitulation of many of the blatant pressures received from a reputable law firm (Esteban Righi) allows to conclude that he is shaking some of the wild cards still on hold. The Vice-President was openly suggesting he has the means to implode the political environment, breaking some dubious codes of honor born in the very core of the national leadership. A desperate measure, yes, but one that might as well bring him an extra payload of oxygen in order to survive his personal, never-ending storm. In the end, an exceptional analytical ability is certainly not needed to outline that the biggest problem in not on the VP's hands but in the President ones. Cristina Elisabet Fernández Wilhelm is now facing a shady, gloomy dilemma: to strengthen the position of his compromised smiling protegé or to dispose of him with draconian rigor. But it is said that both procedures will involve high political costs, while solidifying the need of an impopular government to remain trapped in a defensive position. As of the opposition parties, the general public should not expect future initiative from their main representatives: they appear as if celebrating every mistake originated in the Pink House, forgetting about the darkest aspects of the political scenario.

Future analysis should be focused in the true intentions of the La Cámpora leaders (Máximo Kirchner among them) in relation to Mr. Amado Boudou. The inexperienced troops that remain obedient to the son of the late Néstor Kirchner will continue to fire at will upon the person of the VP, while addressing him "with Love and Squalor". Paraphrasing that famous short story from the author J.D. Salinger.

Matías E. Ruiz, Editor - El Ojo Digital
e-Mail: contacto@elojodigital.com
Twitter account: http://twitter.com/matiaseruiz
 

* Translated into English by the author.