Randy Paul | Colombia | May 28

BeautifulHorizons {snips}- Colombia is holding its presidential election today and all indications are that President Uribe will be reëlected. I'm certainly not enthusiastic about this. I think that Uribe, while having accomplished some good, is also deeply enamored of a policy that will give great benefits to the leaders of the AUC, who I believe should face the consequences of their vicious crimes and should be forced to give up the rewards of their criminal activity. I also happen to think that this criticism is apt:...

- María Jimena Duzán, El Tiempo columnist and critic of Mr. Uribe's policies: "If Uribe is re-elected, he will have omnipotent power without precedent in our history."

as is this one:

- Experts say he is vulnerable to charges that he has been overly generous in disarmament negotiations with right-wing paramilitary groups, helping them morph into secretive drug-trafficking groups.

Critics often come under withering attack from Mr. Uribe, be they former allies, like Senator Rafael Pardo, or rights groups. He has even accused opponents of ties to Marxist guerrillas, a dangerous charge where death squads frequently go after allies of the FARC rebels.

More on that here. This, of course is an issue for Colombians to decide. But it is also an issue for the US to consider as per the amount of aid it gives to Colombia. If the Uribe administration refuses to abide by the Constitutional Court's recent decision regarding impunity amnesty for the drug warlords of the AUC, then the Bush administration will have to acknowledge that there are two authoritarian governments in South America: one in Colombia and one in Venezuela.

Please read this great post by Adam Isacson as to who really benefits from the drug trade here and in Colombia.