Replies

Venezuela is repeating its history. As they say, once as tragedy, then later as farce.

They are learning, again, how a Gomez managed to remain in power for 40 years. Easy. He just refuses to leave. Whole generations of opportunists use him for their own ends, as he uses them for his own.

In the end, every dictator is outnumbered twenty million to one. His regime, his hold on power, in the end, is a judgment pronounced upon a people who could not find the courage to refuse him.

Chavez should have been sentenced to life in prison for his original coup attempt, but populist politicians tried to use his popularity for their own ends. They tried to out-Chavez Chavez and wrecked the country doing it, and paved the way for the real thing.

Opposition political parties couldn't mount any effective opposition to Chavez because, in their heart of hearts, they agree with him. So, he swept into power in a landslide they were powerless to stop, they were powerless even to articulate why he ought to be stopped.

Even now that he has exposed himself as a dictator, who there can explain on a philosophical level why he is wrong? Until they can, no one will be able to mount any effective response to him, and he will rule until he dies of old age, or until one of his co-conspirators pops him and tries to take over the game for himself.

"Chavez should have been sentenced to life in prison for his original coup attempt, but populist politicians tried to use his popularity for their own ends. They tried to out-Chavez Chavez and wrecked the country doing it, and paved the way for the real thing."

Exactly! History repeats itself (though the details always differ). Castro got away with an unsuccessful coup attempt in the '50s..... Both Chavez and Castro should have been locked away for life (better yet, executed) when they tried to launch a coup. Imagine how much better the world would have been in the past 47 years if Castro had never had the opportunity to try again. Now we have the scumbag dictator Chavez who has been allowed to get away with everything and only major military force can stop him now (not expecting that in the forseeable future, but the only way he's going is if the USA takes him out).

"His regime, his hold on power, in the end, is a judgment pronounced upon a people who could not find the courage to refuse him."

That is a hard saying. I believe it is true, though, and wonder how long history will indulge our viewing the complicit populations of our sworn enemies as "civilians" (therefore innocent and to be left unscathed in any military conflict).