"Venezuela has a government that was legitimately elected and enjoys popular support. I might even say that it enjoys more popular support than any other country in the American continent," he said. He claimed the news media were "putting on a show" with the officers.
Adding weight to the dissidents' argument that they speak for a silent majority in the ranks, a Bush administration official said Tuesday that some Venezuelan officers have sounded out U.S. diplomats about how Washington would react to a coup. They were told the U.S. stridently opposes any subversion of Venezuela's democratic process, the official said on condition he not be identified.
In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the United States has made no secret of its concerns that Chavez has tried to stifle dissent. "We believe that all parties should respect democratic institutions," said the spokesman, Richard Boucher. "That applies to whatever direction the attacks on democracy might be coming from," he added. [End Excerpt]
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March 7, 2002- U.S. Gets Tough on Chavez, Will Not Back His Ouster -(Bets on he won't be in office much longer) [Excerpt] U.S. administrations have taken a wait-and-see view since the former military coup plotter was elected with massive support in 1998, and have tolerated his anti-American rhetoric and visits to Cuba, Libya and Iraq. ………….Washington did not want to rock the boat or stoke nationalist sentiment in the South American country, which supplies the United States with 1.5 million barrels a day of oil and has the largest reserves outside the Middle East. But the Bush administration adopted a tougher line after the Venezuelan leader criticized the United States for bombing innocent people in Afghanistan in its war on terrorism.
"There was a change when he attacked us for our military actions in Afghanistan. We decided that we would not let that pass," a Bush administration official told Reuters. But he added: "We don't want Venezuelans to fall into unconstitutional temptations to reach a quick solution." "The line that we only cared about what he does and not about what he says has clearly been exhausted," said Michael Shifter, of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank.
In the first public criticism of Chavez by a top U.S. official, Secretary of State Colin Powell questioned his democratic values and his visits to "despotic regimes" during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Feb. 5. The next day, CIA director George Tenet expressed concern with the buildup of discontent inside the United States' third-largest supplier of oil. "The crisis atmosphere is likely to worsen," Tenet told a Senate intelligence hearing. …………..
Political analysts in Washington believe Chavez's days are numbered, unless he drops his confrontational style and reaches out to sectors of Venezuelan society he has annoyed.
"Not too many Venezuela watchers in Washington think he is going to be there at the end of this year, though it may be a little longer," said Mark Falcoff, the Latin America specialist at the American Enterprise Institute. "He is his worst enemy. He is obviously living in a bubble." Falling oil prices, incompetent management of the economy and corruption has fueled widespread unrest, Falcoff said. On Tuesday, Venezuela's leading business and labor groups forged a rare alliance against Chavez, making clear they are seeking a way to force him out within the framework of the country's constitution.
Options under study are the impeachment of the president on the grounds of mental incapacity or a referendum, though under the constitution that cannot be called until January 2004. "If Chavez can't fix the situation, he will not finish his term. The situation is really serious," the Bush administration official said. "He has enraged everyone he needs to govern."[End Excerpt]
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March 20, 2002- Bush to Be Tough on U.S. Aid During LatAm Trip-[Excerpt] During his talks with world leaders at the conference, Bush will promote his initiative to help poor nations that respect human rights, root out corruption, open their markets, and have education and health care systems. "I'm going to be tough about it," Bush told a group of regional reporters Tuesday in a preview of his trip. "I'm not interested in funding corruption."
Bush separately had some tough talk about Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. The image of the world's No. 4 oil exporter has taken a beating in recent months as opponents of the maverick left-wing president have stepped up protests against his three-year rule, raising fears that political confrontation may worsen and even turn to violence.
"We are concerned about Venezuela," Bush said, citing the long-term U.S. relationship with the country, particularly in the oil business. "We are concerned any time there is unrest in our neighborhood. We are watching the situation carefully. This man was elected by the people. We respect democracy in our country, and we hope he respects the democratic institutions within his country," the president said. [End Excerpt]