Free Republic

He has been called a terrorist by Washington but... An adoring audience of British left-wingers and the Latin American diaspora cheered, clapped, sang and laughed as Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez denounced President Bush and capitalism and praised Ken Livingstone and the Pope... During his marathon address, with occasional pauses to ask his "amigo" Ken whether his time was up, he managed to refer to everyone from George Bernard Shaw to Rosa Luxemburg, Pythagoras to Thomas Jefferson, CLR James to his mother. "Sometimes I'm a terrorist according to Washington or a guy who does military coups," said President Chávez, in front...

WASHINGTON -Washington's antidrug trafficking and aid policies face challenges in Bolivia from the incoming leftist government of Evo Morales. When Bolivia's Evo Morales is sworn in as president on Jan. 22, analysts say he's likely to challenge two policies long cherished by the Bush administration -- that U.S. aid must be tied to investment-friendly policies, and that coca crops must be eradicated. A former coca growers' leader, the fiery Morales toured France, Venezuela, Cuba, Spain and China -- all not exactly friendly to the Bush administration -- and in Venezuela vowed to join the ``anti-neoliberal, anti-imperial fight.'' So far, the...

CARACAS - Venezuela will receive the first of 100,000 Russian-made assault rifles starting next month in a deal struck earlier this year. Russia will deliver 30,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles and three helicopters to Venezuela by year's end, Russian and Venezuelan officials said during talks Thursday. The first 15,000 rifles will arrive Dec. 15, with an identical shipment to follow on Dec. 30, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said. They will be the first weapons under a deal for 100,000 Russian-made Kalashnikov AK-103 and AK-104 rifles signed in May by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's government. The remaining 70,000 rifles will...

The Bush administration is weighing policy options on Venezuela that include launching a high-level task force, highlighting corruption there. With President Bush personally firing off questions, his administration is carrying out a top-to-bottom review of U.S. policies toward Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his leftist ''revolution,'' U.S. officials say. One option already on the table is to create a multiagency task force of a type usually reserved for critical issues. Others include campaigns to highlight allegations of graft in Chávez' government and persuade his Latin American neighbors to help rein him in, the officials added. With Chávez appearing increasingly belligerent...

President Hugo Chávez threatened to use the army to take control in states where governors refuse to accept defeat in Sunday's national elections. CARACAS - The Venezuelan government warned Monday that it would use the army to restore order if opposition state governors persisted in their refusal to recognize the results of Sunday's regional elections. Preliminary figures gave candidates loyal to President Hugo Chávez victory in 20 of 22 state elections. But in several areas, including the important central states of Carabobo and Miranda, governors belonging to the opposition disputed the accuracy of the results. Miranda Gov. Enrique Mendoza, a...