Posted on 5/20/2006, 4:28:47 AM by neverdem
BOGOTÁ, Colombia, May 19 — As Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, insinuates himself deeper in the politics of his region, something of a backlash is building among his neighbors.
Mr. Chávez — stridently anti-American, leftist and never short on words — has cast himself as spokesman for a united Latin America free of Washington's influence. He has backed Bolivia's recent gas nationalization, set up his own Socialist trade bloc and jumped into the middle of disputes between his neighbors, even when no one has asked.
Some nations are beginning to take umbrage. The mere association with Mr. Chávez has helped reverse the leads of presidential candidates in Mexico and Peru. Officials from Mexico to Nicaragua, Peru and Brazil have expressed rising impatience at what they see as Mr. Chávez's meddling and grandstanding, often at their expense.
Diplomatic sparring has broken into the open. Last month, after very public sniping between Mr. Chávez and Peru's president, Alejandro Toledo, the country withdrew its ambassador from Caracas, citing "flagrant interference" in its affairs.
"He goes around shooting from the hip and shooting his mouth off, and that has caused tensions," Jorge G. Castañeda, a former Mexican foreign minister, said by phone from New York, where he is teaching at New York University. "The difference now is that he's picking fights with his friends, not just his adversaries."
Some of Mr. Chávez's gestures, like his tendency to tweak the Bush administration, or the aid projects he has bankrolled with Venezuela's oil money, still leave him popular, particularly among the poor.
But increasingly, the very image of the Venezuelan leader has come to stand for a style of caustic nationalism that many in the region fear, as the divisions provoked by the man who professes to want to unify his region have widened.
"He is beginning..."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
He is a cancer .. will he outlive Fidel? not likely at this rate.
What makes you say that? They just described him as stepping in it more often than not. What's the U.S. supposed to do about it at this point in time?
He certainly isn't endearing himself to some of his Latin neighbors. That could wind up being a serious mistake, even fatal.
"the implication that his neighbors don't respect or want to deal with him(venezuela) is preposterous. the nyt's is trying to belittle this leftist freak(in my opinion) to set the stage for a 'Bush is an animal' type of attack when he does something about this cretin. it's my opinion."
They are specifically calling Chavez a divider and destructive meddler; that's not the same as a non-entity. Let's at least give credit where it's due. If we say the Times is bad even when they get the story right, how credible are our critiques?
But...but...Hugo has a Schutzstaffel! He will be 'President for life'!
Even the peckerheads at the NYT are abandoning this Hitler wannabe.
See you in hell, Hugo.
Chavez apparently threatened to remove Venezuela's ambassador to Peru, and Peru preempted him and withdrew its ambassador to Venezuela.
The great thing about Chavez's government is that the US only has to sit back and let it implode. This guy's idiocy will solve itself.... most likely with a bullet in his head.
latin america is headed for a down ward spiral. (yes, it can get worse believe it or not). Let us build a multi tiered fence when we have the time.
Although by American standards Mexico is low, Mexico is either the largest Latin American economy, or second, after Brazil. Chavez also personally insulted Vicente Fox.
They paint him as a bigmouthed clown; that is bad for dictator street cred.
If we praise the bullet just like we praised Fidel's we will wait forever. We must act quick.
Carter was allowed in Venezuela because he blesses the communist's views of Chavez. Carter is a communist.
Carter is Rockefeller's errand boy. He's more fascist than communist, but then so is the globalist left in general.
Yes, you know it's bad when the leftist applause-machine starts emitting raspberries. I read a lot about Latin America, and he has really annoyed - or possibly even enraged - even his leftist buddies down there. And his little pawn, Evo Morales, is doing his best to make the situation worse, by things like "semi-nationalizing" a Brazilian gas company (Brazil's president is a leftist, but he regarded it as virtually an act of war).
Chavez is afflicted with megalomania, and I suspect this will be his undoing. Unless of course his bosom buddies the Iranians share some of their nuke technology with him.
Ping to CW.
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