Hurricane Hugo (Chavez)

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As President Hugo Chavez adeptly leverages Venezuela's oil wealth to forge an array of regional alliances that leave the United States out in the cold, U.S. ­ Venezuela tensions are heating up. Boosted by the rising prices of oil and the deepening regional anger over U.S. imperial arrogance, Chavez has proved able not only to construct a counter-hegemonic constituency in Venezuela among the country's poor majority but also to piece together a regional network that is challenging U.S. political and economic dominance. Uncle Sam is becoming the odd man out in the hemisphere claimed as U.S. domain since the early 19 th century.

What is to be done? As Chavez's star has risen and as the U.S. stars and stripes increasingly become subject to derision, the Bush administration finds itself at a loss when attempting to stem the anti-imperial tide. All its attempts to persuade or dissuade, enforce, or manipulate have backfired.

Meanwhile, President Chavez-the democratically elected president whom TV evangelist Pat Robertson said the U.S. "covert operatives" should "take out"-has mounted an impressive public diplomacy campaign backed by petrodollars that underwrite ambitious social and economic development projects. Chavez is stirring hopes among Latin Americans and Caribbean people that they can break free from the yoke of U.S. power.

Pat Robertson's observations that assassinating Chavez would be a cheaper foreign policy option than launching another $200 billion war and that such an action could be done without disrupting Venezuelan oil exports were not the ravings of a know-nothing fundamentalist preacher. Rather, they were the opinions of a politically powerful televangelist who over the past three decades has helped forge the Republican Party's strongest electoral constituency. Prior to the 2004 presidential election, Robertson heartily endorsed Bush, saying: "I believe the blessing of heaven is upon him."

CounterPunch

[Dr.Phool]

1. And Donald Rumsfeld just happened to be

In South America,that same day, trying to drum up anti-Chavez sentiment.

Anyone think maybe Karl Rove gave Robertson a call that day?

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2. I assume Pat is not senile yet. nt

[cliss]

3. Pat Robberson is nothing more than a weathervane

for the insiders in Washington. He was just putting into words what they must all be feeling.

Since he's highly influential and a "grandfatherly" type, he probably sits in on fairly sensitive foreign policy meetings.

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Re: the U.S.'s sinking popularity: I've read several articles where the U.S. has attended trade delegations or other meetings, and they've been snubbed. They were hoping for big concessions, big juicy contracts. Instead, they walked away empty-handed. One article explained how the "U.S. group was crest-fallen, extremely disappointed". They got absolutely nothing for their efforts.

I'm willing to bet the U.S. has lost out on MANY LUCRATIVE contracts, just because they're such arrogant asses.

Look at Cuba. Castro is involved in a salvage operation of sunken treasure ships outside Cuba. It's an operation that's worth $billions. They've already pulled up lots of loot. Do you think Castro asked the U.S? Not a chance. He contracted with Canadians and Russians.

This kind of thing is going on all the time.

So yes - Raiderson is feeling the desperation. He feels a nice .45 between Hugo's eyes will take care of the problem.

Maybe, Pat, but Maybe not.

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4. Here's a little more information on Good Ole Pat.

I got this off Pat's Very Own web site, the 700 Club. This is a statement from the Crony himself.

He's trying to explain why he felt it is such a good idea to assassinate Hugo Chavez.

"We are in the midst of a war that is draining vast amounts of our treasure and is costing the blood of our armed forces.
<snip> I said that the wisest course would be to wage war against Saddam Hussein, not the whole nation of Iraq.

When faced with the thread of a comparable dictator in our own hemisphere, would it not be wiser to wage war against one person, rather than Venezuela?
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See what he's saying here? He says it's MUCH CHEAPER, MUCH LESS MESSY to just go in and kill Chavez. This is his statement, from today.

He's not apologizing for anything. He's just clarifying things. The murderous bastard.