Working hard on public opinion

(My comments)

Chávez may plan on being new Castro
By Danna Harman, USA TODAY

(This headline tells me that Harman is giving Chavez permission to plan…I applaud that move.)

(Excerpt)

At the invitation of Venezuela's president, nearly 30,000 Cuban health care workers and sports instructors have spread out across Venezuela over the past two years offering free checkups, medicines and stretching classes. In exchange, Hugo Chávez, leader of the world's fifth-largest oil supplier, is sending up to 90,000 barrels a day free to Fidel Castro's communist island.

(I am trying to figure out what the downside could possibly be here…)

[Snip]

"Chávez sees Castro as a father figure," says Otto Reich, former undersecretary of State for Latin America in the Bush administration. When the 78-year-old Castro dies, Chávez can take over the Cuban's "built-in network of supporters around the hemisphere," says Reich, who calls the Castro-Chávez relationship an "axis of subversion."

(Let’s see…Otto Reich…what can we possibly say about this paragon of virtue?)

[Snip]

The Venezuelan president has called Bush a "jerk," the U.S. government a "mafia of assassins" and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice an "illiterate."

(So, what exactly is your point here?)

In testimony in January before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rice said the United States was concerned about Venezuela's activities beyond its borders.
"We know the difficulty that that government is causing for its neighbors," she said.

(Perhaps you would like to share some specifics on this issue, Condi, like you did with Iraq’s WMD.)

[Snip]

Chávez's opponents have done their best to get rid of him - leading street protests in 2001, orchestrating a short-lived coup in 2002, mounting a two-month strike which shut down the country in December 2002, and finally, holding a referendum on his presidency, which they lost last August. He won 58% of the vote.

(I believe opponents include the Bush Administration…backers of said short-lived coup)

[Snip]

In her January testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rice said, "I think that we have to view at this point the government of Venezuela as a negative force in the region."

(His concern for the poor of his country is making us look bad…but once again, specifics please.)

(The Bush Administration doesn’t seem to be able to intimidate this man, so they continue to load and fire through the lapdog press in hopes of convincing the American Public that this is a bad, bad man…much like they do with anyone opposing their views.
I consider any amount of money spent on an opportunity to consume this bullshit is money spent unwisely. Of course, I think it is ludicrous to participate in the stock market…and very few people pay attention to me on that issue.)