Opinions

Chavez is a dictator, a fool

By Jonathon Van Maren

Last week, the television mouthpiece of far left Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez reported that the United States is in possession of an “earthquake weapon,” the testing of which resulted in the devastating tragedy in Haiti. This new American weapon is apparently also capable of causing “floods, droughts, and hurricanes.” Or, to get to the real message: anything and everything bad that happens is the fault of the United States government, even earthquakes and hurricanes.

In case you were wondering, this is the Hugo Chavez that America-loathing Hollywood celebrities are falling all over themselves to compliment — Naomi Campbell interviewed him for GQ in January of 2008, and called him “fearless, but not threatening or unreasonable.” Tell that to the critical TV stations he has forced out of existence. Sean Penn, who also has glowing words for Fidel Castro, said of Chavez that he “may not be a good man. But he may well be a great one.” Oliver Stone described him as “open and warmhearted and big.”

Michael Moore is so desperate to have ties to Chavez that he made up a fairytale about getting drunk with Chavez in Venice and writing his UN speeches, a story that was immediately ridiculed as patently false by Venezuelan government officials.

Chavez has even funded films for Danny Glover, who introduced him in 2006 at a Harlem church, where loveable Hugo described then-president Bush as “the devil” for the second time in two days, the first being in a speech at the United Nations. “The devil came here yesterday. And it still smells like sulfur today.” On second thought, maybe Michael Moore wasn’t lying.

Chavez has lambasted America in the past, this being the precise reason the loony Left has been so attracted to him in the first place. (“You hate Bush? Hey, I hate Bush! We’re almost like brothers!”) This new allegation, however, shows that he clearly has nothing rational to say. Chavez accused America of being an imperialist nation that had destroyed Latin America, at times referencing another Saint of the Left, noted idiot Noam Chomsky, who has supported every totalitarian regime from Mao to Pol Pot. The Left nodded so enthusiastically their brains rattled.

Barack Obama, as part of his new plan to pander to America’s enemies in the hopes that they’ll forgive the U.S. for being so evil, practically hugged Chavez at a conference and warmly accepted a book detailing European and American misdemeanours. Chavez has since called Obama an “ignoramus” — not quite the devil, but still not as warm and fuzzy as we’d like.

After this new accusation, I hope we can all realize that Chavez is entirely irrational and recognize that continuing to cozy up to him is irresponsible and embarrassing. I don’t expect empty-headed celebrities to stop swarming to Venezuela to drool on him, but I certainly hope Barack Obama has a bit more dignity — for both himself and his nation.