Faced with an accelerating inflation rate and shortages of basic foods like beef, chicken and milk, President Hugo Chávez has threatened to jail grocery store owners and nationalize their businesses if they violate the country’s expanding price controls.
Fortunately for Hugo, he established his Third World "authenticity" by verbally attacking America generally and President Bush in particular. Chavez has embraced Iran and buys Soviet arms. All of Hugo's failures will be forgiven abroad because of this simple precaution. Had Hugo been friendly to America, no failure would be too small to escape the withering attention of the Professional Concerned Class in the West.
So really, think of Venezuela as the Anti-Iraq. Our Left will explain away every failure of Venezuela, every crime Chavez commits against his people, and every act of aggression or violence, because Hugo hates the right people.
