Chavez is proof that populist candidates can win big and do good things for their nation. That's exactly the kind of president the USA should have, one who would scour our USA clean from the dirty tricksters who employ greed unlimited to create corruption unlimited. Congratulations to Chavez and wish that we could be so lucky as to have a real democracy with real elections.

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I used to get upset at columnists who wrote pablum like this, but now I'm just amused. The underlying assumption in this piece is that there exists some kind of coherent foreign policy as articulated by Bushco -- which, by the way, hasn't been in evidence for the past six years.

What else is one to make of a passage like: "This would be a good time for President Bush to call and congratulate President Chavez, and bury the hatchet with our fourth largest oil supplier."

Is there anyone with an IQ over 50 who believes that there is even the slightest chance that "the decider" would do this? After trying for years to either overthrow or assassinate Chavez, this mis-administration is suddenly going to turn over a new leaf and start being "nice"? Gag me. It won't happen, and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.

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Corruption has existed in Venezuela since at least 1821, when it gained independence. In the 19thand 20th centuries, the level of corruption fluctuated, depending on the government in power. During the government of President Hugo Chávez, however, corruption has exploded to unprecedented levels. Billions of dollars are being stolen or are otherwise unaccounted for, squandering Venezuelan resources and enriching high-level officials and their cronies.

Abuse of Power in Hugo Chávez's Venezuela

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As Sunday’s presidential election draws near, Venezuelans and their neighbors would do well to compare Hugo Chávez's record to his rhetoric. In 1998, Chávez capitalized on public frustration and ran for the presidency on a strong anti-corruption platform, defeating Henrique Salas Romer, former Governor of the state of Carabobo, an excellent public manager but perceived as an elititist. Eight years later, Chávez's promises remain unfulfilled, and democracy has given way to an authoritarian regime in which the electoral system is totally under his control.

Hugo Chávez's Unfulfilled Promises

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Millions of Venezuelans have signed a petition demanding that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stand in a recall election. Resist any urge to draw a parallel between the Venezuelan recall effort and the California recall of 2003. Venezuela is not California and Hugo Chavez is not Gray Davis. Over the past 4 years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has installed autocratic rule over Venezuelan society, destroying the democratic institutions intended to check the concentration of political power. In the absence of democratic institutions, the only peaceful option the people of Venezuela have left for saving themselves is this exercise in direct democracy.


What Hugo Chavez Means for Democracy Around the Globe
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I actually think this is a good time for Chavez to call Bush and apologize. Despite what he does at home, he has directly insulted the President, and the people of the US.

He was seen by most of the UN as a comic figure for his childlike manners - if he wants to be respected outside of his immediate sphere of influence he should step up and do the right thing. Somehow, I don’t feel he is capable of rising to the next level!

I would hope that more people, will , like myself, boycott CITGO. I've made it know to a CITGO station I used almost exclusively why I wouldn't be back. More Americans should support their country in this way. I think fla is about to withdraw the exclusive CITGO contract to run station along the Fla Tpke. CITGO seems to be worried about this as they are spending an enormous amount of money trying to highlight their identy as an American company!

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This little tyrant is a typical stereotype of South American despots of the last 100 years. I think we need to do what we can to blockade his little country or perhaps we should go back to the old policy of dealing with America's enemies through assassination. We should have done it with Fidel a half century ago and by not doing it to the likes of Chavez we run the same risk of having a committed enemy determined to undermine our interests. I say we confiscate his offshore oil platforms and deny him the petro dollars he uses to bribe the mostly poor electorate in his country. I expect it wouldn't be too long before his own people deal with him once the freebies stop coming.

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Liger-you are quite special (short bus sort of way). I disagree with most of the Libertarian mindset because I believe in regulations to curb excessive greed. There will be some occasion when I think Cato institute is correct, just like times when I think Pat Buchanan is right, but during those times I will feel dirty.

As a Libertarian organization the Cato Institute will pray to the free market/neoliberal economic orthodoxy of their prophet Milton Friedman (and others). Chavez has gone a different route (opposite) in progressive/populist economic agendas.

dikaiosyne-glad to know that you hate democracy. Because your post is about hating the democratic process. You probably hate the fact that Hamas did so well in January. Guess what the voters get to choose not some dickheads in America. And just so you know that I am a true believer in democracy when Austria had that right-wing xenophobe Haider do well in elections, I was against sanctions because they choose him.

Plus how many times do the sore rich losers in Venezula get to have a recall? They lost in 1998, they lost in the recall, and they lost 2006. Get over it!

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I don't know what else Chavez has to do,he has Won election after election with the Whole world looking over his Shoulders. Yet the Right wing Nut jobs, scream like the Stuck pigs that they are. LOL

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