[Righty_McRight]

This guy almost makes Castro look sane.

[GeronL]

He will arm those who unquestioningly support him and he will disarm everyone else. The headline is misleading

[pillbox_girl]

Fears of a U.S. invasion are predicated on the assumption that the U.S. gives a damn.

Can someone please explain to me just why he or anyone else thinks we do?

[msnimje]

Venezuela does not give their leaders yearly medical exams? This guys cheese has slid off its cracker.

[MJY1288]

Chavez worships Castro. Chavez is Castro's apprentice, NUFF SAID!!!!

[SaltyJoe]

Yeah, but what is Chavez rolling in his cigar that makes him so paranoid? Are there spooks with the ability to collect a urinalysis from him?

[kb2614]

It's good to see a good old fashion South American dictator (sarcasm). I wonder if he'll start wearing one of those military uniforms with 20+ rows of ribbons and medals??

[walford]

Chavez is not as nutty as he may seem:

...The government has said the country must be prepared for "asymmetrical warfare" against "imperialism," a warning Chavez issued after making a substantial weapons purchase from Russia, including 100,000 AK-47s, 40 combat helicopters and antitank and antiaircraft missiles. Venezuela has also been negotiating with Russia's Rosoboronexport to purchase MiG fighter aircraft...

The fact that Chavez would use the term 'assymetrical warfare' -- a term coined in the Pentagon -- is worrisome. Not only is he throwing down the gauntlet that he intends to continue harboring narco-terrorists who are operating outside of his borders. He is indicating that he expects to succeed in foiling any U.S. attempt to stop him.

But there's another reason for the arms buildup and bellicose rhetoric:

...Retired Adm. Ivan Carratu, former director of the Institute for National Defense Studies in Caracas, said the government's frequent announcements of an alleged U.S. invasion were meant to promote nationalism with the purpose of uniting a people divided by Chavez and his policies."Venezuelans are not prepared to go and fight a war against foreign intervention," he said. "Chavez is arming sectors of the population in order to squash the opposition."
   
    The Bush administration has sharply criticized Venezuela's purchase of Russian weapons, stating the deal could fuel a regional arms race that could destabilize the region."The problem is, what if those rifles end up in the hands of criminal and militant groups which operate in the Americas," said Roger Noriega, U.S. assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
   
    He told CNN said he was referring to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the Colombian rebel group on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations that operates in Venezuela.
   
    "There are criminal groups that have operated with impunity on Venezuelan territory, apparently with the support of the government, and there are also other groups in other countries of the Americas, with whom the Venezuelan authorities have maintained contact that operate against the democratic governments of the region," he said.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

He just keeps getting nuttier by the day.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

[livius]

But maybe his "people" are like the ones in these photos:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1351401/posts?page=1

This is a must-see: they are photos from the cover of a VZ magazine with an article about a "rally" supposedly attended by thousands of enthusiastic Chavez supporters. Until you look closely, of course...

[Dustbunny]

Geeze, another crack pot!

[Condor51]

If it wasn't for that *#;$%& Church Committee and that ijit Jimmah enacting all of its 'findings' almost verbatim, this commie whack job would be eating dirt by now.

[Unam Sanctam]

I thought the Cold War was supposed to be over -- it looks like the the thuggish anti-American communists are back.

[ken21]

the elimination of chavez makes sense.

he's just going to fester and form alliances with the chicoms and castro.