Pietyless?

 In Caracas, Buddying up with a FARC leader.

Congresswoman Piedad Cordoba was just banned from public office for 18 years for allegedly collaborating with theFARC guerrillas. Cordoba was well-known - to many Colombians notorious - for her numerous meetings with guerrilla leaders. Her leftist ideology and sympathy for the guerrillas (and for Hugo Chavez) were easy to see. And, the laptops recovered after the Colombian raid on FARC leader Raul Reyes camp produced evidence of Cordoba collaborating with the guerrillas, according to Colombian officials. On the other hand, Cordoba was able to arrange the liberations of several prominent hostages held by the FARC - altho those served as P.R. platforms for the guerrillas and Chavez.

Whatever the truth about Cordoba's relationship with the guerrillas, casting her out just a few days after the government dealt probably its strongest blow ever against the FARC by killing 'Mono jojoy,' their second in command, cripples hopes for a negotiated end to the guerrillas' violent and senseless insurgency - exactly when they're at their weakest ever and perhaps most likely to talk.

Cordoba's punishment may be correctly legally, but it deals low blow to Colombia's hopes for peace.

Pietyless? Congresswoman Piedad Cordoba was just barred from politics for 18 years for allegedly collaborating with the FARC guerrillas. Cordoba was well-known - to many Colombians notorious - for her numerous meetings with guerrilla leaders. Her leftist ideology and sympathy for the guerrillas (and for Hugo Chavez) were easy to see. And, the laptops recovered after the Colombian raid on FARC leader Raul Reyes camp produced evidence of Cordoba collaborating with the guerrillas, according to Colombian officials. On the other hand, Cordoba was able to arrange the liberations of several prominent hostages held by the FARC - altho those served as P.R. platforms for the guerrillas and Chavez. Whatever the truth about Cordoba's relationship with the guerrillas, casting her out just a few days after the government dealt probably its strongest blow ever against the FARC by killing 'Mono jojoy,' their second in command, cripples hopes for a negotiated end to the guerrillas' violent and senseless insurgency - exactly when they're at their weakest ever and perhaps most likely to talk. 

Cordoba's punishment may be correctly legally, but it deals low blow to Colombia's hopes for peace.