The talented, but disgraceful, Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen

MIAMI – Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has a special talent for opportunism. It appears to have served her well in a long political career. She’s remained in the U.S. Congress since 1989 by cultivating Cuban right-wing republicans on one side and Jewish (mostly) democrats on the other. Both groups are important for any election in her district.

Here’s an example of how she makes use of situations to endear herself to both:

Today (Tuesday July 23), after the decision by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include “The Life and Works of Ernesto Che Guevara” in this year’s additions to the Memory of the World Register, Ros-Lehtinen became “incensed” and sent out this statement:

“UNESCO continued its longstanding tradition of making a mockery of its own institution when it opted to venerate and memorialize the life of a blood thirsty, murderous sadist, Che Guevara, by including his works as an entry in its ‘Memory of the World Register.’ This decision is more than an insult to the families of those Cubans who were lined up and summarily executed by Che and his merciless cronies but it also serves as a direct contradiction to the UNESCO ideals of encouraging peace and universal respect for human rights.

“This latest reprehensible action is a microcosm of the existing problems within UNESCO today. There isn’t any semblance of common sense left in that body. From its decision to accept a non-existent state of Palestine into its membership, to glorifying Che’s ruthless crimes against humanity, UNESCO deserves no funding from US taxpayers. The Obama Administration is wrong to continue to seek to restore funding to UNESCO. The Administration must immediately end its push to send $225 million in American taxpayer money to UNESCO that would enable that organization to keep undermining our friend and ally, the democratic Jewish State of Israel, and would insult the memories of those who suffered under Che and continue to suffer under the Castro brothers.”

I assure you her voters on the Cuban republican side were happy. They hate anything to do with Che. But notice she managed to also finagle the Palestinians into the equation – assuring a smile of satisfaction from a great number of her Jewish voters. Give her credit: she struck two birds with the same stone.

If nothing else, Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen is talented. Because I doubt she cares about Che Guevara or Israeli Jews or the Palestinians for that matter. Hell, as the Miami New Times recently reported, not a peep was heard from Ileana when UNESCO recognized Karl Marx’s Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto in its Memory of World Register earlier this year. I guess there was nothing to gain from that one…

Here’s a person and member of congress who has cuddled terrorists. Or have we forgotten that she led the charge for the release of convicted terrorist Orlando Bosh. That’s way back when George H. Bush was president and son Jeb was setting his sites on the Florida governor’s chair. And as for mass murderers… she has practically genuflected at the feet of Luis Posada Carriles – who has more than enough blood on his hands. Including the murder of 78 persons on board a Cubana Airliner in 1976.

This is the same Ros-Lehtinen who has defended the overthrow of legitimate, democratically elected governments in Venezuela, and later in Honduras. And yet sat proudly during congressional hearings with one of the Honduran coup leaders who served as ‘president’, Roberto Micheletti.

Examples abound of Ros-Lehtinen’s talent to side with – well… terrorists and those who trample on human rights and democracy in our hemisphere and beyond. And yet she goes off and mocks UNESCO – for her own political gain.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen an opportunist? Yes. But what bothers most about my member of congress (yes, I happen to live in her district), she lacks integrity.