Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has gone to that big socialist utopia in the sky, leaving behind Venezuela to face an uncertain future. During his tenure as President, Chavez was able to fight off domination by Latin America’s greatest busybody – the United States.
Although former President Jimmy Carter has stated that Chavez "will be remembered for his bold assertion of autonomy and independence for Latin American governments," Carter’s seems to be the minority view.
Republican U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida called Chavez's death "an opportunity for democracy in Venezuela." Oh, yeah?
President Obama has issued a statement which said in part "As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights."
Maybe I’m too much of a cynic, but I can’t help but wonder how long a country which has the second largest reserves of petroleum in the world can remain free from US meddling now that Chavez’s death has left Venezuela in a leadership vacuum. Will we decide that the drug cartels in the region must be eradicated for once and for all and send in the troops? What about those shipments of aluminum tubes to Caracas? Hmmmm?
Quotes are from
here.
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