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Earlier report with great photo.

A Venezuelan opposition man wears a mask of Hugo Chavez during a march in Caracas, February 8, 2003. Tens of thousands of opponents of Venezuela`s President Hugo Chavez marched on Saturday in solidarity with state oil workers staging a two-month strike against the leftist leader. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Chavez Says His Government Is Democratic*** Chavez urged the so-called "Group of Friends," a forum of six nations backing negotiations mediated by the Organization of American States, to "understand the truth about Venezuela."

"In Venezuela, there is a legitimate government, a democratic government," Chavez said during a speech to foreign diplomats. "It's necessary to recognize that reality."

Opposition leaders claim Chavez, a former paratrooper who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, is riding roughshod over the nation's democratic institutions.

Meanwhile, a melee between opposition sympathizers and municipal police under the command of a ruling party mayor erupted outside a building in Caracas where a petition backing early elections is stored. No injuries were reported.

Dozens of opposition supporters pledged to secure the building through the night and accused police of attempting a raid.***

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Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

***"Mr Chávez has made many mistakes, but the most prominent of his mistakes is that he doesn't recognize the multiform nature of democracy. Democracy is a multiform system with a variety of opinions and motivations, but Mr Chávez only has one purpose in mind: revolution. Mr Chávez was elected to preside over a democratic government, not to rule a revolutionary system."*** Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warns nations not to complicate crisis

Chavez is managing to hold on, it would appear. His opposition did not receive a lot of support from "democratic" countries. I don't think Jimmy Carter qualifies as any kind of help. That's sort of like sending Michael Jackson in to stop an epidemic of pedophilia.

My overall opinion of American foreign affairs, which in the 20th century has been, at best, abysmal, has not improved at all, in the last few months