COLOMBIA: Website Claims Santos 1st Round Victory Steered By American Advisors.

COLOMBIA   REPORTS/      The political analysis website La Silla Vacia claims that three U.S. political advisers are responsible for presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos' recent success. Santos' campaign "handles the issue [of the Americans' involvement] with secrecy, perhaps to avoid another controversy similar to that which erupted when it was learned that J.J. Rendon was working for Santos without a work visa. However it is certain that the gringos play a central role in the campaign," claims La Silla Vacia. The three advisors responsible for making the "Uribista" Santos into "a more affable and less defensive candidate" and one who is accessible to the people are Americans Jack Leslie, James Carville and Ravi Singh.

COLOMBIA: The Presidential Campaign Gets Nasty With Smears And Rumors.

COLOMBIA REPORTS/ Full Report/    "The 2010 presidential elections seem to focus as much on discrediting other candidates as on self-promotion. Covert attacks on candidates integrity, and even on the candidates' supporters, are increasingly the name of the game. Increased use of internet campaigning provides both campaigners and opponents with a whole new arena to wrestle in."