BERNIE SANDERS DID NOT FALL FOR THE McCARTHYISM RUISE IN LAST NIGHT’S DEBATE

In last night’s debate, CNN played a video from the 1980s when Bernie Sanders, then mayor of Burlington Vermont, opposed U.S. support for the Contras in Nicaragua and expressed admiration for Daniel Ortega. The CNN journalist asked Sanders if he regretted what he said. Sanders refused to fall into the trap. He went on to say that even though he hoped that Cuba would someday become democratic, one has to recognize the advances of the Cuban revolution and made specific reference to the area of health and the international presence of Cuban doctors.

Hillary Clinton snapped back that she had no admiration for Fidel Castro due to the dissidents and “disappeared” critics of the Cuban regime. “Disappeared”? What about the thousands of “disappeared” in Chile as a result of the U.S.- supported coup of 1973 – promoted by Henry Kissinger who Clinton sees as a foreign policy advisor for her government?  And does Clinton say anything about the recent murder of human rights activist Berta Cáceres and the failure of the government of Honduras to carry out an impartial investigation – a government that came to power thanks to the refusal of Clinton, as secretary of state, to break diplomatic relations with that nation and strongly condemn the coup of 2009.