The Big Blowup Over Venezuela

Is Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, leader of his "Bolivarian Revolution," an authentic liberator whose program of "distributive social justice" can effectively blend socialism and democracy and uplift the poor? Or is he, as his enemies (including the Bush administration) allege, just another anti-democratic populist demagogue, a human rights violator obsessed with personal power? The answers are complicated and nuanced and probably satisfy nobody.

Those questions, at least, were certainly on vivid display when the nearly three dozen nations of the Americas met in Argentina in November at their latest hemispheric summit. All of a sudden, it seemed like déja vu all over again. Here we were, back to the chilly days of the Cold War, with Uncle Sam facing off against a challenging and obstreperous leftist--a self-proclaimed socialist, no less--claiming to speak on behalf of his overshadowed and impoverished continent and enthusiastically thumbing his nose at Yankee imperialism.

The assembled press had only one story in mind: just how big a confrontation would be produced between George W. Bush and twice- (some would say thrice-) elected Hugo Chavez. After a half-decade of unremitting hostility between Washington and Caracas, the dramatic stage had been more than set.

Indeed, the U.S. enmity toward Chavez even transcended the staunch partisan lines that have marked the Bush era. During his 2004 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate John Kerry briefly made the Venezuelan leader an issue, calling him a supporter of "narco-terrorists" and "detrimental to our interests."

This past August, televangelist and conservative political activist Pat Robertson openly called for the assassination of Chavez. "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him," Robertson said, "I think we really ought to go ahead and do it."

Most recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called Chavez's friendship with Fidel Castro's Cuba a "menace" to the region--the sort of language that gives any Third World leader contemplating American military power some restless nights. And in Venezuela's case there is this added factor: The U.S. receives a full sixth of its oil imports from the South American country, making it economically strategic. (Some 13,000 Citgo gas stations in the U.S. are a direct arm of Venezuela’s state-run oil company.)

Washington's threats were so ominous, by Chavez's interpretation, that weeks before the Argentine summit he said he had been forced to cancel numerous public appearances to guarantee his safety. He also called for the creation of a civilian militia that would force any invading American troops to "bite the dust." And he warned that if the Americans invade, "you can forget the Venezuelan oil."

Chavez then escalated the rhetorical fire, branding the Bush White House "a terrorist administration" and calling the U.S. president no less than a "murderer."

READ MORE