Washington Losing Control of the Narrative: Coup in Bolivia is Now Undeniable

Today Caitlin Johnstone has another worthwhile piece on the coup in Bolivia, “No No You Guys, THIS US-Backed Coup Is Perfectly Legitimate!” Alliance For Global Justice has published a statement on the coup. AFGJ has set up a Bolivia updates page. Reporting from La Paz, Clifford Krauss of The New York Times didn't make it to the front page, though he did get a thumbnail at the bottom of the fold.

The reason? After reading Krauss's "Bolivia’s Interim Leader Pledges to ‘Reconstruct Democracy’" it is well nigh impossible to deny that what happened in Bolivia is a coup. A civil war is unfolding there. At least The Times didn't censor the photo of Morales supporters marching in La Paz against self-declared president Jeanine Añez Chavez.

I was waiting to see how the military would handle the return of Movement toward Socialism (MAS) lawmakers to the legislature. MAS has a large majority, and it was the stated intention of the legislators to declare president Añez illegitimate.

As Krauss explains,

On Wednesday afternoon, after using tear gas to break up a peaceful protest by supporters of Mr. Morales, the police blocked about a dozen senators allied with the former president from entering the legislature. 

“Dictatorship! Dictatorship!” chanted the crowd accompanying the lawmakers.

Less than an hour later, as tear gas wafted outside the government palace, the armed forces announced a shake-up of the high command. An army general, Carlos Orellana Centellas, became the new top commander of the armed forces and promised to take orders from Ms. Añez.

“We will guarantee the security of the constitutional government,” General Orellana Centellas said.

The shakeup in the army high command is textbook coup d'etat stuff. The far-right coup leaders are clearing the deck of anyone squeamish about slaughtering Morales supporters. And make no mistake that is what it is coming. Judging from the size of the crowds in La Paz things are going to get very bloody.

By that time Clifford Krauss will be back in Houston reporting on petroleum and the news will be buried with not even a thumbnail bottom of the fold.

Already Washington and its captive OAS are losing control of the narrative because they can't prove any election fraud and they can't deny that Morales was the rightful winner of the October 20 election (who would have won even if it had go to a runoff). A coup d'etat in Bolivia is now undeniable.