Chavez is following an old script. Come up with an enemy, usually the U.S., to rally the voters to his support and to blame all their national ills on.
It worked for so many in the past and still works in much of the world, aided and abetted by W.
In this case, or most any in South America, the U.S. is the obvious Bogey Man because of the way U.S. businesses have run rough shod down there in the past. It was too easy because they only had to bribe/threaten whoever was in power. They, in turn, didn't ask for that much because they didn't have to share with very many cohorts. I wouldn't call them puppets but marionettes comes to mind.
