Free Republic

(Caracas) -- Venezuela's leader is criticizing the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama. Hugo Chavez said, quote, "for the first time we are witnessing an award with the nominee having done nothing to deserve it." Although in the past, the socialist leader has praised Obama personally, Chavez has also criticized what he has described as the "imperialist" policies of the U.S. In a column, the leader took the Nobel committee to task for overlooking Obama's role in "perpetuating his battalions in Iraq and Afghanistan and his decision to install new military bases in Colombia." The remarks from...

CARACAS (Reuters) – Russia has agreed to lend Venezuela over $2 billion to finance the purchase of weapons including tanks and advanced anti-aircraft missiles, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday. Chavez said the purchases agreed on a trip to Moscow last week included 92 tanks and the S-300 missile system, which is capable of shooting down fighter jets and cruise missiles. "We have to thank the Russian government, which approved a $2.2 billion loan for arms spending," Chavez said on his weekly television show. He did not say how much the new weapons cost. A major oil exporter, Venezuela's...

...Let's just consider this one thing for the time being. Hugo Chavez. Over the past several days I've been reading about his star turn at the Venice Film Festival. Since when did it become so chic to celebrate dictators? WTF is up with that?! Whats up is that Oliver Stone has made a film, a documentary, about Chavez which as IBDeditorials says, "emphasizes that the public has it all wrong about the clowning Chavez being a threat to the West. It's merely an image problem he has, brought on by unjust demonization from George W. Bush." Can we just lock...