If anything, our response was foolishly weak. We made no military move and did nothing to shore up the opposition even after Chavez had physically left the palace.
Our actions actually show that our foreign policy is NOT bound inexorably to oil; the premise of Moore and the hypocritical French.
"Our actions actually show that our foreign policy is NOT bound inexorably to oil; the premise of Moore and the hypocritical French."
Good point. This also shows Bush's focus on the war against terror. Chavez hasn't acted like a threat to us before today.
Too bad we have to depend on these clowns for oil when the enviro-wackos here at home seem to be working for them. Does Chavez contribute to US enviro-wacko groups, I wonder?
I think we can easilly solve this problem with intelligence, a few navy seals, bunker busting bombs on his missile silos, red herrings in front of the bombers, and a bullet in the brain. However, we should coordinate this with the same kind of plan for North Korea at the same moment. We also need a way to make them think that there's a commercial plane off-course or something until it's too late to launch. FReegards....
I agree. The correct thing to do would have been either to kill him, or to get him on the plane out of VZ right afer that coup. They had him at the airport and in fact were going to do that (one military person had had his pistol out to kill him but then changed his mind), and if we had provided just a little more encouragement, Chavez would be history now. Or at any rate, he'd be sitting in Havana sipping coco locos with his beloved Fidel and wouldn't be causing all the trouble he's bringing to VZ and Latin America in general.
I hope if we are ever again presented with a similar opportunity, we know what to do with it.
"Our actions actually show that our foreign policy is NOT bound inexorably to oil; the premise of Moore and the hypocritical French."
I think the opposition was completely unprepared for the possibility that chavez would have folded so quickly. They took a gift and completely bungled it, and look where they are now.