Posted on 01/21/2007 5:33:24 PM PST by blam
The man spoiling for a fight with America and its 'empire of evil'
By Simon Scott Plummer
Last Updated: 12:35am GMT 22/01/2007
In his eight years in power Hugo Chávez has succeeded Fidel Castro as the cheerleader of anti-Yanquism south of the Rio Grande and with a third presidential electoral victory under his belt he is promising a new era of radical socialism.
Judging from this month's inaugural ceremonies, the impact will first be felt domestically. The Venezuelan president plans to nationalise the electricity and telecommunications industries, shut down the largest opposition-run television channel, curb the powers of state governors and mayors and lift the ban on the indefinite re-election of the head of state.
President Chávez's radical plans include nationalising the electricity and telecommunications industries
Last week the National Assembly, a body totally dominated by Mr Chávez since the opposition boycotted the 2005 parliamentary election, voted unanimously to allow him to rule by decree for 18 months.
Whatever else the new era brings, it promises a remorseless accumulation of presidential powers.
Greater radicalism at home suggests an even more interventionist policy overseas. Mr Chávez has named his revolution after Simón Bolívar, leader of the 19th century independence struggle against Spain in half a dozen Latin American countries. He wants to export his Bolivarian ideals across the continent, and beyond, in defiance of what he sees as the neo-liberal "empire" of the United States.
As part of this campaign, he insults his opponents in terms which make headlines across the world.
George W Bush is a "devil"; his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, a "complete illiterate"; Alan García, the Peruvian president, a "thief"; his predecessor, Alejandro Toledo, a "crocodile from the swamps"; Vicente Fox, the previous Mexican president, a "puppy dog of the [American] empire"; José Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the Organisation of American States, an "idiot" acting like a "viceroy of the empire".
Mr Chávez's verbal abuse of his enemies is accompanied by financial support of his friends, largesse made possible by the steep rise in oil prices. The world's fifth largest oil producer has spent an estimated $25 billion overseas since 1999.
His closest allies are Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador – the first two are members of the Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas, a would-be rival to the stalled Washington-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
Cuba: In return for 53,000 barrels per day of discounted oil, rising to 90,000, Cuba will train 40,000 Venezuelan doctors and 10,000 teachers.
Bolivia: In support of President Evo Morales' decision to nationalise the natural gas fields, the two governments have created Petroandina Gas and have agreed to build two gas-processing plants in Bolivia at a cost of $170 million.
Mr Chávez is providing $49 million of defence funding, reportedly for the construction of 20 military bases along Bolivia's borders. Around 30 Venezuelan military officials arrived in Bolivia in December and are, according to the Bolivian defence minister Walker San Miguel, helping to pilot and maintain two Super Puma helicopters Venezuela has provided to transport Mr Morales within Bolivia.
Nicaragua: To help Daniel Ortega return to power, Venezuela sent cut-price fertiliser to Sandinista-affiliated co-operatives and undertook to ship 350,000 barrels of diesel oil at a 40 per cent discount, to be made up over 25 years at a one per cent interest rate.
Ecuador: The new government of the "Left-wing Christian humanist" Rafael Correa has spoken of receiving credits of up to $1 billion from Venezuela.
Mr Chávez has also agreed to refine 100,000 barrels of Ecuadorian crude per day in exchange for diesel. Mr Correa has said he will not sign a free trade treaty with America and has promised to close the American air base at Manta on the Pacific coast when the lease expires in 2009.
Venezuela has also helped Néstor Kirchner, Argentina's Left-wing populist president, restructure the national debt by buying $3 billion worth of bonds. The Argentines could also eventually benefit from a gas pipeline deal signed last week by Venezuela and Brazil.
In the Caribbean, Caracas is supplying crude and petroleum products on concessional terms to 13 members of the Caricom community.
Further afield, it has announced plans to set up a $2 billion investment fund with Iran to help developing countries "liberate themselves from US imperialism", has bought 24 fixed-wing aircraft and 53 helicopters from Russia, and has increased oil co-operation with China – one of a series of agreements which, in Mr Chávez's words, constitutes a "Great Wall" against American hegemony.
This multi-dimensional petro-diplomacy is enough to worry Washington and its allies.
But the crude rhetoric of the Venezuelan leader should not blind them to the fact that his real successes in Latin America have been confined to some of its smallest and poorest nations.
Mexico has elected another conservative leader in Felipe Calderón and Brazil is continuing to follow a moderate Socialist programme under Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Mr Chávez is more a gadfly than a serious threat to continental stability. And his rhetoric – he now calls himself a communist – far outruns his actions, which so far have been cannily pragmatic.
Since the invasion of Iraq, Washington has been an easy target. Whoever succeeds Mr Bush should be able to make up ground lost in Latin America over the past four years.
ping
He isn't looking for a real fight. He just needs a boogieman to keep his people under control.
He will slap the USA around by enslaving Venezuela. An interesting concept.
Can somebody just knock this guy off or do we have to wait for him to become a monster like Hitler?
He is nothing more than a blustering midget.
He'll screw with oil supplies. The dems have stymied the Pesident's plans to wean us off of foreign oil at every turn, you'd think they were buddies with pineapple head. Oh, wait. They are. Never mind
Or, could he at least get the same disease as his buddy Castro?
We only get 14% of our oil imports from Chavez...however, that's 80% of his oil exports.
Yes, there's that. If we could develop our own oil and coal, plus nuclear, we could ignore this pipsqueak. Until, of course, India and China start buying up all his stuff. Complicated game and the dems are on the enemy's side.
Oil is a fungible commodity in a worldwide market. His only choice is to sell oil or not to sell oil.
If he doesn't sell, it might raise the price 3 or 4 dollars a barrel.
Patience, my boy, patience!
Just doing my job.
Tin pot dictator comes to mind. Knowing we will do nothing (we could not be bothered), he blusters much. If we stationed a large Aircraft Carrier off his cost (which will won’t) he would shut-up. Piss-ant!
Somebody tell Curtis Sliwa that Hugo is committing intellectual property theft!
Monday January 22, 2007 2:01 AM
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER
Associated Press Writer
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to ``Go to hell, gringos!'' and called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ``missy'' on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday, lashing out at Washington for what he called unacceptable meddling in Venezuelan affairs.
The tirade came after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant the fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers. The National Assembly, which is controlled by the president's political allies, is expected to give final approval this week to what it calls the ``enabling law,'' which would give Chavez the authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period.
On Friday, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Chavez's plans under the law ``have caused us some concern.''
Chavez rejected Casey's statement in his broadcast, saying: ``Go to hell, gringos! Go home!''
He also attacked U.S. actions in the Middle East.
``What does the empire want? Condoleezza said it. How are you? You've forgotten me, missy ... Condoleezza said it clearly, it's about creating a new geopolitical'' map in the Middle East, Chavez said.
In typical style, Chavez spoke for hours Sunday during his first appearance on the weekly program in five months. He sent his best wishes to the ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro, his close ally and friend who has been sidelined since intestinal surgery last summer.
Other comments ranged from watching dancing Brazilian girls wearing string bikinis at a recent presidential summit to Washington's alleged role in the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
``They took out Saddam Hussein and they hung him, for good or worse. It's not up to me to judge any government, but that gentleman was the president of that country.''
Holding up a newspaper with a photograph of him gazing at a string bikini-clad Brazilian dancing samba during a summit last week in Rio de Janeiro, Chavez laughed and said: ``I didn't know where to look ... It was truly a thing of beauty.''
Chavez, who was re-elected by a wide margin last month, has said he will enact sweeping reforms to remake Venezuela into a socialist state. Among his plans are nationalizing the main telecommunications company and the electricity and natural gas sectors.
The president's opponents accuse him of using his political strength to expand his powers.
Relations between Caracas and Washington have been tense since Chavez was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup that he claimed the U.S. played a role in. The Bush administration has repeatedly denied being involved, although it recognized an interim government established by coup leaders.
Since then, Chavez has consistently accused the U.S. of conspiring to oust him and often asserts the CIA is working to destabilize his government. U.S. officials have denied trying to overthrow Chavez, but they have labeled him a threat to democracy.
Criticizing excessive consumption and self-indulgence, Chavez also announced plans in his broadcast to raise domestic gasoline prices and approve a new tax on luxury goods such as private yachts, second homes and extravagant automobiles.
He did not give details on the gas price hike, which he said would not affect bus drivers who provide public transportation, or the luxury tax. He said revenue from the new measures would be put toward government social programs.
Venezuela is one of the world's leading petroleum exporters and gasoline now costs as little as 12 cents a gallon due to government subsidies
The problem is that he is a hero to the more than 60 million "illegals" in this country. When amnesty passes, this year or next, it is coming to a town near you. The Democrats will have to move further to the left if they want the new Latino vote of these newly minted citizens.
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