Men like Chavez need an external enemy to keep the focus off themselves lest the anger of the people turn in his direction.
From last September......
Last Sunday, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez spoke for over 8 hours, in his weekly radio and television "show" Aló, presidente (Hello, Mr. President).
Recently, the show's length has been increased in every edition, and the 8 hours set a new record. Chávez uses "Aló, presidente" to face the "empire", to plead for Latin America's unity and independence, to spread his political ideology and more recently to give details about the Constitutional reform he's currently promoting.
"We have reached 8 hours of "Aló, presidente" for the first time ever", celebrated Chávez, and was applauded by the ministers, mayors and governors present at the show.
I guess they applauded for two reasons: because they have to (Chávez isn't exactly a democratic kind of guy, you know) and because they finally could see a little light at the end of the tunnel. They were probably thinking: "After 8 hours straight, this has to be near the end, please, God".
"Thanks to you for your patience, to the special guests ", Chávez added. As if they had an option.
The president, sweating buckets, said earlier that the temperature at the place from where the show was being broad-casted (El Tablazo, in the western state of Zulia) was about 40ºC - 104ºF. Can you imagine how torturing must it be, to listen to Chávez's BS while enduring this kind of heat?
The same with Obama.