Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chávez for 'assault' on democracy

The Guardian ^ | 7/3/11

[markomalley]

Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar's praise for Venezuela's socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.

Venezuela's president, who hasrevealed that he has had surgery in Cuba to remove a cancerous tumour, turned one of Chomsky's books into an overnight bestseller after brandishing it during a UN speech. He hosted Chomsky in Caracas with smiles and pomp. Earlier this year Chávez even suggested Washington make Chomsky the US ambassador to Venezuela.

The president may be about to have second thoughts about that, because his favourite intellectual has now turned his guns on Chávez.

Speaking to the Observer last week, Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an "assault" on Venezuela's democracy.

"Concentration of executive power, unless it's very temporary and for specific circumstances, such as fighting world war two, is an assault on democracy. You can debate whether [Venezuela's] circumstances require it: internal circumstances and the external threat of attack, that's a legitimate debate. But my own judgment in that debate is that it does not."

[Pontiac]

Or they offered him a cozy retirement job with a six figure salary where he only has to work a few weeks a year with lots of travel perks.

Lefty literati like him get those kind of jobs as a reward for service of the cause.

[RedMonqey]

Commies and their fellow travelers always switch sides when their favorite proves to be a loser.

Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, Mao, Castro and now Hugo.

All were once supported because they were anti-capitolist, anti-Western, anti-democracy. Then when these fiends reveal their true nature and are overthrown or at least no longer “fashionable”, The Left, especially the “limousine liberals”set find another “cause celebre.’ ” And afterwards they say they never supported them.
Read “I984” and see the way history is rewritten to fit the current Government line.