Chavez the gladiator battling the evil oppressor

While the Ahmadinejad play fades into history, the other dwarf on the world stage is busy pumping up his stunted image with the willful assistance of the Associated Press;

“‘Gladiator’ — What a movie! I saw it three times,” [Hugo Chavez] tells an Associated Press reporter traveling with him in a Toyota 4Runner, along with his daughter and a state governor. “It’s confronting the empire, and confronting evil. … And you end up relating to that gladiator.”

The parallel is unstated but clear. To Chavez, the United States is the empire, and he is the protagonist waging an epic struggle to bring justice to the oppressed of Venezuela and the world.

Yes, the United States and George Bush, in particular, have so interferred with Chavez plans to conquer South America, haven’t they? He’s a brave soul to stand up to such a fearsome enemy. Dumbass. So interferring are we that we’ve sent hack-actor Kevin Spacey to undermine Chavez’ grip on power (h/t A Columbo-Americana’s Perspective) ;

Actor Kevin Spacey met privately Monday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, one of Washington’s most outspoken critics in Latin America.

Neither Spacey — who has won Academy Awards for roles in “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty” — nor Chavez spoke to the press after the nearly three-hour encounter in the presidential palace in Caracas. They shook hands warmly on the red carpet as Spacey left after a dinner with Chavez.

Another in long line of failing Hollywood-types dipping their toe in world politics half-assed understanding the causes they’re supporting – or not supporting. I guess all that’s important is that Chavez calls President Bush “The Devil” – that’s as deep as they go.

And honestly, that’s as deep as Chavez goes, too. He’s made shallow promises to nearly every nation in South and Central America none of which have come to fruition. Of course this all the fault of the United States;

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday denied media reports that he clashed with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a Thursday meeting, saying the United States was behind the reports.

“That is the handiwork of the Empire, but it will never achieve its goal of making us fight,” Chavez said during his Sunday radio and TV show “Hello, President.”

Chavez promises are now extending to Europe as well;

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will visit France in November to discuss the fate of hostages, including prominent Franco-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, held by Colombian Marxist rebels, the French President said Monday.
    “Mr. Chavez will visit France in November. I have spoken with him by phone three or four times over the past 15 days,” President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
    Chavez has offered to mediate between Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the Marxist rebels who are holding 45 hostages including Betancourt, who has dual citizenship, and three Americans.
    “France’s obsession is to have Betancourt returned to her family as soon as possible,” he added.

And don’t forget that he’s still best buds with Ahmadinejad;

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, in a telephone conversation on Monday, called for further promotion of Tehran-Caracas cooperation.

President Ahmadinejad is currently in New York to attend the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly to begin on Tuesday.

“Ahmadinejad and Chavez are two brothers who have joined hands at international arena to establish peace and tranquility,” the Iranian president said.

Of course – that’s why Chavez has tossed out Christian Missionaries from the Venezuelan interior but allows Hezzbollah (the Syrian client terrorists of Iran) to recruit there.

The Devil’s Excrement explains why Chavez makes long term plans with foreigners instead of his own people;

The first few years of Chavez’ presidency, you could tell he was frustrated with economic issues, he did not know how to manage them, did not understand them and could not control them, in contrast with social and political issues where he could really understand what the people wanted and used it to his advantage, blaming the previous forty years for all the problems.

Since then, Chavez has learned that you can lie, exaggerate and make up numbers on just about any subject, but it is precisely in social issues where he has to walk a very fine line, because the people are not dumb. You can’t fool people into believing there is no crime or it has not increased, no inflation and he has stopped it, no shortages or a boom in housing. Thus, Chavez avoids these subjects. Chavez never says “we have built so many housing units…”, he knows that if he exaggerates, some people will feel that they were left out, so it is better to say “We will build so many thousand units…”. In a year, nobody will check anyway.

And that’s how he manages his foreign policy – he deals in vague statements, empty promises, crowd pleasing emotional outbursts. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Chavez is more like Alonso Quixano (ingenious hidalgo Don Quioxte, knight errant) than a gladiator and socialism is his fair and elusive Lady Dulcinea.

Bloodthirsty Liberal just cracks me up with his Chavez posts – everytime.

Category: Foreign Policy, Hugo Chavez