Hugo Chavez’ Christmas Present

Even from the standpoint of imperialists, George Bush and his gang are a bunch of blundering fools.

The reasoning for the Iraq war remains nebulous and indeterminate, unless you take the war party at their word. During the run-up to the war, back in March, 2003, I was working on a project at a major law firm. I used to eat lunch in the employees’ cafeteria, which was filled with very plump, self-satisfied matrons from the suburbs. These ladies not seeing any reason to speak discreetly, trumpeted their political opinions around the place like Tommy Dorsey playing “Moon Over Miami.”

I used to be serenaded with little masterpieces like:
“We’re gonna’ go in there and finish the job!”
And:
“Saddam Hussein had twelve years to knuckle under and he didn’t do it…”

In a nutshell, these sentiments, from the depths of George Bush’s white Republican base, more accurately illuminate the true logic of the Iraq adventure than all the position papers published by the Heritage Foundation ever could. Pure, naked aggression, rising like swamp gas from the souls of frustrated, overweight couch potatoes and ignited by the still smoldering ashes of Ground Zero.

All the specious pronunciations about WMDs and yellow cake uranium were just throwaway lines about which the speakers never expected to be held accountable. Hence their fury at now having to explain them

The only person happy about the Iraq mess is Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez. Seeing Bush hamstrung domestically and internationally, and Venezuela awash in petrodollars, Chavez now has a clear field to do practically anything he wants as Washington neo-conservatives grind their teeth in impotent outrage.

Contrary to official pronouncements about the ability to fight two wars, U.S. armed forces, stretched thin in Iraq, are in no position to simultaneously stage an invasion of Venezuela. Chavez, immensely popular there and in many other Latin American states, could count on support from elements of virtually every other country in the area, quickly regionalizing the conflict as well as REALLY disrupting world oil markets.

Clearly seeing a window of opportunity to consolidate his power far into the future, Chavez is signing cooperation agreements with the South American Mercosur trade block, has signed a contract to construct a gas pipeline 3,500 miles through Brazil to Argentina, is shopping for Argentine nuclear power plants and, not the least, has gone on a shopping spree for modern armaments and jet fighters.

This should ensure his ability to continue to kiss Fidel Castro and poke his thumbs into the eyes of George Bush for years. A far cry, this, from the time that Venezuela was considered to be a personal estancia of the Rockefeller family and Standard Oil of New Jersey!

For this bounty of good luck, U.S. forces tied down halfway around the world and disruption of oil markets causing the price of his oil to shoot through the roof, Chavez has only Bush and his brilliant coterie of dorks and misfits to thank.

Do you think he’ll send him a Christmas card?

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Posted on 11/27/2005 ( Permanent Link )
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