Paraguay's Lugo -- No Palin Photo Prop

Last week, John McCain sought to bolster Sarah Palin's nonexistent foreign policy credentials by having her sit for photographs with willing heads of state.

As expected, Palin scored photo-ops with Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai, Colombia's Alvaro Uribe, Georgia's Mikheil Saakashvili, Ukrainian's Viktor Yushchenko, Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari, Iraq's Jalal Talabani and India's Manmohan Singh as these leaders gathered in NYC for the annual UN General Assembly.

However, it appears some dignitaries shunned the political sideshow, declining the photo prop pleas of McCain-Palin. One such person is the newly elected President of Paraguay - Fernando Lugo. He is said to have confided to friends in NYC that he turned down an invitation to take pictures with Palin.

Who is Fernando Lugo?

He's a former Roman Catholic bishop, progressive and champion of the poor who broke the 62-year rule of the country's repressive rightwing regime.

Very interesting considering the cozy relationship between the U.S. government and the Paraguayan regime defeated by Lugo.

BTW: The U.S. established an airbase in strategically located Mariscal Estigarribia in Northern Paraguay -- an area with access to the Guarani Aquifer, the world's largest source of fresh drinking water; close to Bolivia's natural gas reserves, the second largest in Latin America; and within aerial reach of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and the rest of the continent. Additionally, Rev. Sun Myung Moon owns (1,482,600 acres), and George W. Bush is rumored to have recently purchased (100,000 acres), land atop the aquifer in Chaco.

Q: So, why was Lugo invited to sit with Palin? After all, Lugo is a left of center leader whose family members were persecuted by fascist Paraguayan regimes in league with the U.S. government--and who has not been an ally of the U.S. rightwing.

Links:
President of Paraguay Turns Down Meeting with Sarah Palin
Bush's Paraguay Land Grab
Where in South America is Sun Myung Moon?
The Bushes and the Moons
'Bishop of the poor' is winner in Paraguay poll
Fernando Lugo: Paraguay's 'Bishop of the Poor' Seeks Presidency
U.S. Military Eyes Paraguay
PARAGUAY-US: ‘Base’ story revived, with twists
U.S. military presence in Paraguay