A guest post from Alek Boyd.
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The New York Times Venezuela correspondent, Simon Romero, ought to be commended for shedding light upon the world’s favorite revolutionary chic destination. Hordes of foreigners, infatuated with Che Guevara, or Pendejos Sin Fronteras as they’re locally known, are commonplace nowadays in the country, eager to witness Chavez’s XXI century socialism at work. As Romero stresses, the fact is compounded by an unprecedented oil bonanza that has allowed its sole administrator, Chavez that is, to spare nothing on the goal of constructing reality. “A revolution that doesn’t invent his own writing has failed,” expressed once Severo Sarduy, and Chavez’s is desperately trying not to be an exception. Problem with this proposition is that almost the entire collectivity of Venezuelan intellectuals, if there is such a thing, are in complete opposition to Chavez. Moreover, in the breeding ground of intellectuality, universities, Chavez’s candidates have not won one single election, for voting is carried out in traditional ways and not by the ministry of elections.

Bolivarian cultural Akelarres seek to promote a revisionist version of our reality, invented much before the failed putschist reached power via democratic elections in 1998. The guests invariably share a characteristic: that of projecting its own failed utopias on the gentle savages of a country, which is leading an experiment of Marxist and Gramscian doctrines in the XXI century. Sporting “Birkenstocks and guayaberas,” the lot of leftists glosses over Chavez’s militarism, and aren’t bothered in the slightest by the source of funds that allow them to live, albeit briefly, Chavez’s fascist revolution: i.e. the de facto free trade agreement between the evil Empire and Venezuela. Instead, they happily wonder out of the hotel-conference center to spend per diems on revolutionary paraphernalia, such as T-Shirts of terrorist Carlos the Jackal, admittedly a highly esteemed compatriot of the president.

Chavez, however, can’t be faulted for hiding his intentions. For if there’s one leader that has abused its powers to commandeer all media to advance his ideals and announce with surgical precision what he would do, how and why, that is Chavez. His revolution is on radio, on TV, online 24/7. Therefore, as irony would have it, gatherings serve to witness the shrinking number of ‘thinkers’ that think that allowing the existence of only one, official, version of reality is morally justified, freedom of opinion and expression be damned. Fellow travelers accepting Chavez’s hospitality expose a breed of ‘intellectuals’ at the service of the revolution, a concept popping straight out of Havana’s ‘cultural congress.’ More tellingly, Chavez’s Gramscian construct, despite the enormous amount of resources lavished to achieve it, is an absolute failure. Hundreds of community and national TV and radio stations, Chinese satellite and continental TV networks notwithstanding, it has failed to produce or inspire a literary/artistic movement of the sort seen during the boom years of the 60ies and 70ies. On the contrary, if there are notorious elements that have characterized Chavez’s pet project these are its mediocrity, mendacity, lack of creativity and originality, owing to the very Dadaist nature of it. For it is unthinkable that stuff produced by members of the Miranda Centre, such as Eva Golinger, would become subject of respected academic study in years to come.

Although one must never underestimate the militancy of the radical Left, Chavez’s “Salon of the Left” success is rooted on his ability to pay for the services rendered by useful idiots. A cultural revolution it is not.


Alek Boyd

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Notes from the editor:

'pendejos sin fronteras' coined by Teodoro Petkoff on doctors without borders where the word doctro is replaced by 'pendejo' which is a concept word meaning useful idiot to pubic hair. Context is all.

Akelarre, word of Basque origin that can be translated as "witches sabbat".

-The end-

As expected Maria Anastasia O'Grady spoke her mind on the Miami trial. Words were not minced: Hugo Chavez spreads the loot. Video included.

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So now that we know per court of law that Venezuela is a corrupt government that spreads money and agents around, how is the press reacting to it? Well, it is big news as all major morning editions carry the item. In no particular order (well, in part the order in which I receive my newsletter).

The Wall Street Journal has a short item. It worries about how many other elections have been paid by Chavez. I am sure Maria Anastasia will come up with something shortly.

The New York Times wonder about why the US prosecuted the case since it really was no threat to security: the journalist observes wryly that most evidence was collected at restaurants.... However it is also clear that if the US had done nothing, the parties would have done zero. The story is well summarized. To underline that this trial has brought damage to Chavez it ends the article with a beautiful line on yet another of Chavez cadenas: Then on Monday, as the verdict was being read, Venezuelan broadcasts were preempted by an unrelated television address by Mr. Chavez.

The Washington Post follows a more "political line" citing the defense lawyer. Well, true, it is a political trial, and so what? The felony might be political but it was a felony, no?

The Los Angeles Time, as expected gave it limited coverage (World Briefing). But that is amply compensated by the Miami Herald whoas expected is more attuned to Venezuelan specifics as shown by covering the Chavez cadena in detail. For Phil Gunson there is no doubt, Chavez threw in a stupid cadena to make sure that the verdict result would not be shown live in Venezuela. I think he is on the money.

Dead last the BBC, but at least they covered. But that coverage is more wishy-washy, more like an "Ooops! We should have followed that a little bit closer". Whoever wrote that note is non committal, almost surprised at the result. US papers know exactly what went on, but the UK is, well, far away and maybe they did not realize what was really at stake there, I am afraid to say.

Other news sites tend to rely on the AP news alone so no need to cover for originality. However we can conclude one thing: Venezuela needs to budget yet another wave of cash to counteract the damage of the trial. It will not work but that has never stopped chavismo from wasting money.

PS: for a story of recent corruption in Venezuela Tal Cual has a brief summary today. What has been stolen under Chavez is probably an order of magnitude larger than what has been stolen in ALL preceding elected governments.

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When I look at what has happened today in Venezuela, in a single day, I wonder if there is a state left in Venezuela. There is also the option to think that Venezuela has become a failed state and we are about to become aware of that.

Let's start with the latest one. We just learned on TV that the grand daughter of ex-president Leoni has been found murdered in her apartment, possibly with her youngest child having witnessed it all, her mother near death next, both stabbed several times. The murder, by the way is in her Santa Paula apartment, a few blocks away from where I stay when I visit Caracas. A middle class neighborhood. What is the difference between Lorena and, say, any of the Chavez bothers? She had a small apartment in Caracas, he has large estates in Barinas. She had no body guard, he has all the body guards he can think of, taken away from the police corps, and thus away from the streets where they should be busy protecting the common citizen from crime, such as Lorena Moreno Leoni. Lorena is the grand daughter of a president that did not get rich while in office. She and her siblings have had to work all their lives for whatever they had as their grand parents left them only the family home. Another ex-president who died a simple man was Herrera Campins whom his friends had to help with his final medical expenses. The Chavez clan has become in ten years filthy rich, and let's not start with all the associates of the regime...

Or rather, let's start with these associates as the Miami trial is finally over and Franklin Duran has been declared guilty. Guilty as in guilty of being an undeclared agent of the Venezuelan government in the US. That is all, but it is much, much more than what it seems.

• It means that indeed Chavez regime is dispatching people to the US to commit actions that at the very least fail to meet the ethical label. In other words, Chavez agents in the US are up to no good, the more so when they are not registered.
• It means that the evidence presented at the trial demonstrates that the jury believed that corruption in Venezuela was at the root of sending such illegal agents. NOTE: the jury could not emit its opinion on corruption per se but the defense could not prove that the actions of Duran where not motivated by trying to cover up corruption in Venezuela.
• It means that the jury accepted that Venezuelan corruption is spilling over the US and as such should be stopped.

What are the implications?

Venezuelan government now cannot pretend the 800,000 dollars in the suit case just happened to be there. In fact, today, Antonini now free of the trial constraints talked in public for the first time, on CNN nothing less, to say that the money in the bag was for Cristina Kirchner campaign. Cristina and Hugo can chose to ignore Antonini declarations but the rest of Latin America who watched CNN "en español" now can wonder about the corruption in both countries (and in theirs if they are associated in any way with the bolivarian mafia). Well, they are not wondering, of course, as Argentina and Venezuela are considered quite corrupt even by our very lax Latin standards. No, they are going to wonder if these two crooks are going to do something about it. They will not have much of a choice anyway as in Argentina already the opposition is getting ready to cash in.

But in Venezuela, instead of investigating the huge corruption scandal of giving money to foreign campaigns, the Venezuelan mafia in charge uses law artifacts to remove one by one any opponent that looks to win at the coming polls. Yesterday it was Lopez, Mendoza and others. Today it was Lapi's turn. Tomorrow expect Salas Feo, Capriles and Rosales. That is the only way that chavismo can win an election, remove those who are running against them.

And while all of this took place, while European Human Rights observers were barred form doing their job, while Lech Walesa was "convinced" not to come to Venezuela, Chavez appealed to the racial card to try to get a date with Barak Obama. The Spanish original carries better the idea that Obama is black, like us. Chaevz simple assumes that Obama is misinformed. A little bit more and Obama is XXI centruy socialism Uncle Tom, if Chavez knew of that image.

Can there be a state in a country where the president behaves in such ways, say such things, jail or bars whoever he wants? Can there be a state when the daughter of an ex president is fighting for her life because somebody stabbed her in her home while the same state gives away 16, SIXTEEN, luxury 4 wheel drive, armored vehicles to make sure that Evo Morales is not going to get mugged in La Paz streets?

There is only one explanation to make sense of all of this: Chavez plays deliberately at the destruction of the state, an encumbrance that blocks him from enjoying his loot.

-The end-

The European Parliament voted today to condemn Venezuela for barring politicians to run in elections and for the expulsion of two Human Rights Watch Activists. Of course Venezuela denied everything.

From additional information not appearing in press at the time I type, this is in fact worse for Chavez than it might seem at first. I am not going back on the cases except to remind folks that notable opposition candidates were barred from running this November on specious charges, without a trial and even less of a guilty court ruling. That is, a public employee, Clodosvaldo Russian, decided on his own who could or could not run in November while he refused to check on the scandalous money bag trial in Miami, the "valijagate", which should be his first obligation. Of course anyone could see through it and now the European Parliament in Strasbourg took the pain to vote a condemnation of Venezuela for violating human rights. In the deal the obnoxious expulsion of Human Rights Watch workers was also included as another violation.

No, what is more interesting to discuss is what this will mean for Chavez.

First the lame excuse that the vote only included the right wing parties is indeed lame (and I pass on the disqualification of these parties thrown by some chavistas). True, they all voted for, but it is also true that the social democrats abstained. Only the left more or less on Chavez payroll took the floor to defend what cannot be defended. Then again the speakers from Portugal and Izquierda Unida at Strasbourg have benefited from junkets to Chavez activities. Or their co-religionists, same difference. They do not want to see one of their main donors and promoters look really bad.

What is interesting here is the silence of the socialists, the real ones, the good ones. Apparently they were divided on this sanction and in a time of crisis where it is important to show coherence they prefer not to participate in the debate and not to vote. In other words, a long condescending European left is now unwilling to follow Chavez whenever he wants. Heck, even those willing to vote in favor are comfortable with abstention! His actions are catching up with him. Only the fringe left still follows.

At any rate, one thing is certain, as of now Venezuela is on the watch list of Europe as a regime of the same caliber as Zimbabwe. We all knew it, it is now just official and as of now Chavez reception in europe will be colder and colder, when received. Poor Hugo, he loves so much being received in European capitals.........

But that is all fine, more dangerous news for Hugo are coming from Miami, dutifully reported by the Miami Herald, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. If they do not get Chavez for Human Rights violations they will get him for being a crook. One always lead to the other anyway.

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Today the BBC carries (semi hat tip SYB) that the Argentina government will take over the private pension plans of Argentina. The excuse is to protect them from the turmoil of the world markets. First, there is no way that Argentina which is basically a permanently broke government can protect the money deposited in the private pension funds. I do not know how the private pension system worked in Argentina, it could have been good or bad, that is not the point. What I know for sure is the dismal record of ALL Argentina governments since Peron and how all in the end ate all the trust and savings of the people. The current administration is no exception as Cristina has already proven herself to be an incompetent ruler in the barely one year she has been in office as she messed up badly the agrarian crisis through her, oh, so very Peronist arrogance.

But this is in a way anecdotal for us concerned about Venezuelan matters. What this take over of the pension plans, pretty much a highway robbery if you ask me, means is that Argentina has realized that it cannot rely on Chavez anymore to shore up its financial troubles. Maybe Chavez thinks Venezuela is safe from the financial global mess but in Argentina they know how to add and rest, and better than Chavez it seems. Thus they are taking measures, in true Peronist style, to make sure Cristina can keep making populist promises. We all know how it is going to end: after an initial apparent improvement through creative accounting the reality will come to roost. Then we will see yet again another massive devaluation of the Argentina currency, whatever name it will have at that time. The people that 14 years ago started saving in these plans will not be allowed to remove their deposits, or partially at best, and what they must leave will be eaten by devaluation and inflation. A fraction of it will have gone to buy out piqueteros and the sort, and the bulk to people close to the Peronist party. O just plain waste. They are good at waste in Argentina.

And the Argentine cycle will start again as after an interregnum of sorts (the current opposition mayor of Buenos Aires?) they will vote in yet again a new Peronist government, apparently never learning the lessons of history.

I am not laughing at Argentina because the future of chavismo is to become our own Peronist version, bankrupting the country every couple of decades. Meanwhile the current crowd at Casa Rosada gives us a new meaning for rats abandoning ship.

-The end-

I know, I know, I tend to abuse this line in titles. But what can I tell you, everyday that passes we are getting more into that mood of a world ending. The irony here is that as the leftist idol of first decade of this century is irremediably declining, a more true Liberal idol, of the good kind, is about to start his own decade up North.

Where should I start? By Diosdado Cabello, whose incompetent 4 year sting at the helm of Miranda state has been so negative that he sees no way to stop the rise in polls of Capriles Radonski but by reopening a dismissed trial about him. Only in a country where the judicial power has lost absolutely all independence can you see such a judicial abuse.

Should I continue by yet another nationwide power outage that killed for most of us our Sunday rest? Yes, on a day of low electric needs (it was even a cool day so there was not even much of an AC demand) the system once again collapsed and left me in Caracas for more than 2 hours out of juice. But the sad part here is that a few days ago Chavez imposed on us yet another cadena. There he was witnessing the inauguration of some electrical facility in the Tuy valley. For people who have a few neurones it was clear that the size of the facility was unable to solve much in the pressing electrical problems of Venezuela. But still, that was not the point: the point was that Chavez wanted us to believe that a young woman, of her own admission trained in Cuba in electrical power management, was able to direct the facility from a simple lap top casually tossed on some table, not even a proper desk. Electrical plants are now run from cheap lap tops instead of dedicated boards in safe/security rooms?

What is this sudden urge, by the way, to do everything Cuban? Can Cuba, an island with only a few millions people with so many pressing needs, supply Venezuela's 28 million people pressing needs? That Barrio Adentro 1 is now an obvious semi failure is not escaping the good people of Venezuela. In such "cubanization" of cadenas we also see one of these sure signs of profound decay: look for unlikely messiah to come and save the day.

Should I move on the two UNT activists who were arrested at a PSUV rally because they were taking pictures and wearing red shirts to blend in? Chavez even mentioned his courage and temple as these two dangerous terrorists were caught. Of course they were terrorist as they were taking pictures of the empty areas that VTV is careful never to show in Chavez rallies, a true terrifying sight for the beleivers! Never mind that the state police and state helicopters are used at tax payer expenses to film any opposition rally... This item is so scandalous by the way that it elicited a very strong editorial of Teodoro. And yet no response from the authorities against Teodoro: in yet another sure sign that chavismo is smelling the end, they do not bother anymore to argue with Teodoro, knowing full well that they will be the worse off. Not to mention that the full force of the state is used against two kids does not show at all security and confidence in the said state but yet are not used against Teodoro. Abuse of the weak is yet another sign of end of times.

And since it is getting late, should I finish about the spectacular corruption trial in Miami? The amount of details revealed is simply astounding. The tentacles of corruption have reached so deep in the Venezuelan government that one is dumbfounded at the means and ways billions have been stolen from future generations of Venezuelans. And yet the Chavez administration remains basically silent as if nothing is happening; they pretend that it is only a ploy of the US to slander Chavez. That is yet another sure sign of how bereft of arguments chavismo is. The strategy cannot fly anyway because many of the accusations confirmed these days in Miami were already done 2-3 years ago without any action taken against the perpetrators. The most famous case, Nobrega, ex finance of minister directly indicated as having taken at least 20 million USD while in office has been languishing for 1 year in court. Meanwhile chavismo is busy trying to restart the failed trial against Capriles. But in the sad lot the most pathetic bunch are some leftists that are trying to explain to us that a little bit of corruption might be a necessary evil to allow the Chavez experiment to succeed in the end. When these people reach such lows of debasement, then you know the end is near.

I do not know what is coming next, a democracy or at last a fascist Chavez tyranny. But one thing is certain, the world he created will not last long, and even less at a 60 USD a barrel.

-The end-

With the drop in oil prices, the obvious madness of Chavez and the slow reawakening of a more combative opposition perhaps it is time to consider discussing ways in which Venezuela can be recovered and rebuilt. The New York Times ever helpful brings us the first problem that will need to be resolved, via Zimbabwe.

Apparently the agreement brokered by defenestrated Thabo Mbeki is sinking fast because the military that orchestrated the massive beatings and killings during the last electoral campaign are afraid that they are going to be judicially prosecuted. Imagine that! And let's not discuss all the loot the military took in the past decade or so (the article does not even go into that aspect). So Mugabe has decided to retain all the key political ministries and let Tsvangirai take care of the boring economic stuff where people will be expecting a miracle that will not come, even less if the military are allowed to continue looting that last crumbs available in the country. Morgan ain't buying, understandably.

This is pretty much what is expecting us. For at least six years a new political class has been allowed to grow corrupt and fat and these people do feel scared that their loot might be taken away from them, or that they will be thrown to jail for allowing the loot or taking part in it. We can think of Diosdado, Jorge Rodriguez, Rafael Ramirez, Isaias Rodriguez or Jose Vicente Rangel as people that have a lot on their conscience and cannot possibly look at a Chavez departure from power with a still heart.

The military is in equally bad shape. Since February 2004 there are plenty of Human Rights violations that could be nailed on them. And the looting started since since the "Plan Bolivar 200" where some characters such as Cruz Weffer looted so much that Chavez was forced to put them in the background, when not mounting a mock prosecution, that is, they are placed under investigation and we never hear anything from it anymore while they quietly make their loot flourish away in different sorts of money laundering schemes.

And let's not even get involved into all the flourishing drug trafficking in Venezuela or does anyone think that an increase in drug busts does not mean that there is also an increase in drug trafficking through the country? Who controls the ways through which traffic goes? The opposition politicians? The Civil Government? OR the armed forces? Probably all but I am sure your guess as to who as the lion's share is the same as mine.

Chavismo has created a politically and corrupt higher class of power, a class that now works more along the lines of mafia deals than of political give and take. A class whose penetration by mafia rules also implies that violence as a way to deal with problems is acceptable. And a class that holds all of the guns and that will have no problems sending young indoctrinated recruits beat up on us as it happened in Zimbabwe. We, as the opposition must think as of today in ways to deal with that problem that we will inherit from Chavez. Outright amnesty is not possible but total revenge could end up costing us much more.

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You wouldn't think so reading stuff here (exclusively politics focused, sorry for that), but I've been following the recommendations on the wiki and elsewhere, and reading tons about corruption in many different contexts. The field of medicine, however, continues to be the most striking to me. Here's the latest from the great Senator Grassley, as described in an article in the WSJ:

A prominent Emory University psychiatrist failed to tell the school about $500,000 he received from drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC while heading a government-funded research project studying Glaxo drugs, Sen. Charles Grassley alleged.

(Thanks, Birgit!)

UPDATE: The psychiatrist has stepped down.

(Thanks again, Birgit.)

Before anyone reads what is not in the title of this post, what I am referring to is the death of the image of Hugo Chavez. I am using this title because I am repeating the title of what might be one of the few real good posts I ever wrote, The week the Bolivarian Revolution died, on May 2007. But do not expect any lyricism today, this is not going to be an inspired attempt at writing a memorable article: there is no lyricism in describing human misery, unless your last name is something like Homer or Hugo.

However it is important to note that this week events do mark a turning point in the projected image of Hugo Chavez. As of now, even those who did not care much about him, at home or abroad, will be faced with enough information that they will need to ask themselves questions. That is, of course, if these people know where Venezuela is. Never mind those who support him as they are faced with so much negative evidence: their hour of reckoning has come.

It has indeed been a bad week for Chavez, and a very bad if we look at the consequences of his projected image. After all he has only himself to blame as he uttered scatological words that no sane president of any country should ever utter in public anywhere. When he equated the US with shit he was not equating only the US, he was including anyone anywhere who did not do as he willed. Even if you live in Malawi you must wonder if such obscenity will ever reach the shores of Lake Nyasa. And I cite Malawi because I have had 9 hits form that country since I have been writing this blog.

Truly, Chavez has enough problems to perturb his delicate mental balance, or activate his Tourette syndrome as Gustavo Coronel claims he suffers from. But definitely it seems that the Miami trial of the 800,000 USD Argentina bound bag is acting as the final fuse in Chavez self revelation. Even though no verdict has been reached, the consequences are for all to see.

The latest revelations are complicating seriously Chavez panorama. In Argentina where the press is more efficient than in Venezuela, where there is a more articulated opposition and where a semblance of justice still exists, this week end brought to us a set of articles in La Nacion. We learn that in that fateful August 2007 flight, besides the 800,000 USD that were caught they might have been 4,200,000 USD more that did made it through the custom check. La Nacion also takes the opportunity to associate this Chavez funding of the Cristina Kirchner campaign with other somber funding attributed to some drug money laundering. Even her own vice president is increasing his distance with Cristina Kirchner. No wonder Cristina suddenly canceled her scheduled trip to Venezuela: she knew what was coming. Or maybe she also realized that the days to be photographed close to Chavez might be over.

On the US front we see a quick retaliation. Simon Romero at the NYT gives a complete update that even includes an MP3 podcast worth listening to. Besides the expected expulsion of the Venezuelan ambassador (who returned crazed to Caracas) it put on the security watch list of the Treasury department three high ranking Venezuelans officials: the head of Venezuela’s military intelligence agency, Gen. Hugo Carvajal, Gen. Henry Rangel Silva, the director of Venezuela’s DISIP intelligence agency, and Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, who resigned as interior minister this week. By doing that the US sends a clear message to Chavez that the drug trafficking he tolerates, that the FARC connivance are duly noted, duly documented and that at any time Venezuela can be put on the pariah nation list. By not doing so at this time it allows other Chavez supporters that were dreaming about enjoying their loot that they might not be able to do so if they keep supporting Chavez antics, to give them a mild name.

In short, the clear message of the US is that Chavez is guilty by association. And this has profound implications all across our Western Hemisphere. After all from now on when Lula or Correa of anyone else cozies up to Chavez, all chancelleries in the world will be allowed to wonder about that link. Buy out? Extortion? Blackmail? Complicity? How much did he give to your election-reelection campaign? All the enablers of Latin America are now exposed as what they have been all long: enablers of the most corrupt regime in Venezuela history, a regime that has squandered the money and the future of the Venezuelan people for the sake of a crazed individual dream that hid behind an empty social redemption message. That also allows us to question about the sincerity of the social message of those enablers, by the way.

But in Venezuela things are not going too well either as the Chavez Teflon shows finally signs of deteriorating. And we know that once the first scratch holds, the other scratches come easier. The political opposition is the first to be congratulated: it leaves the follow up of Chavez obscenities and corruption to the media while it focuses on the real problems of the country. Chavez image is deteriorated enough that they do not feel obliged to reply to his provocations anymore. I could see that myself with the meager response of the chavista crowds in San Felipe to the alleged recent coup/assassination claim. A few dozens red shirted protesters in front of the State House of San Felipe, writing on cars "No al golpe" and not been offended, even smiling, when I did not let them write that on my car. I was not afraid, they did not care. A year ago I would have allowed them to write anything they wanted (washable liquid white chalk, by the way, very standard practice in the provinces, kind of our temporary bumper stickers). A year ago they would have insulted me had I refused, and be more numerous too.

As it was the case in May 2007, chavismo and Chavez cannot find the right chord, the creative reply. Then they tried to put up fast a pseudo Bolivarian student movement. It never took off, was shown early to be a sham as many of the promoted "leaders" were state employees. In fact, one of them is already a minister of Chavez, in what must be one of the fastest ascensions in Venezuelan politics. This time after having stone walled for over a year the "maletin" case, the only thing they could come up with was to demand that the prosecutors in Miami come to Caracas to explain themselves. The absurdity of this speaks by itself. The ridicule of their position must be making any serious tribunal following the case roll with laughter. I mean, the Venezuelan prosecutor office has yet to interrogate seriously the folks involved in that fateful flight, amen of questioning their bosses, and instead they are blatantly trying to shot the messenger, Thomas Mulvihill of the Florida prosecution office. We truly have seen it all....

It does not really matter that Chavez is starting some backpedaling by admitting that the coup and assassination attempt were really not that serious: the damage to his image he did this week is just too great, definitive. There is no repair. Now the road ahead of him is solitary, maybe long or maybe short, but solitary. All the people that matter will abandon him before they get dragged further into the Bolivarian muck (even the Bolivian military rejected in no uncertain terms the offer of Venezuelan intervention). Only rapists like Ortega, and vampires like the Castro brothers will keep clinging to him, depending on how many zeros are still on his checkbook. If you doubt it you need to watch the extraordinary satire against Chavez that Jaime Bayly gave last Friday in his show. When people can say such things on TV, even in Miami, set of anti chavismo/castrism, you know how ridiculous Chavez has become to the world (four 10 minute clips, worth watching if you undestnad Spanish, and if you support Obama).

But Chavez is not really sorry, nor is he able to be. Any sweetener he throws this late is a lie. As this week event proceeded, he went on to divide Venezuela into military zones were generals named by him will rank higher than governors elected by the people, ensuring future conflict and violence against the people. A nice way to admit that he is about to lose the November 23 election by a wider margin than he expected, and he will not recognize the resutl, just as the 26 decree laws enacted a few weeks ago were a slap at last December popular will.

To close this post I want to quote the last paragraph of today's entry of Milagros Socorro in El Nacional (subscription only). She has a meditation of sorts on the Stanislavski method which amounts in brief to use "emotional memory" that recreates in a way a situation form the past to give credibility to the present. That is, Chaevz appeals to the "legend" of the coup through the positive 1992 experience (according to his moral criteria) to revive his sagging fortunes today by refreshing his image. Unfortunately as Milagros points out, you need to care for your language if you want thsi to work.

El jefe de estos tristes extras, por su parte, no necesitó apelar a la memoria emotiva que aconsejaba Stanislavski. A ése le basta sentir el aliento de la justicia internacional en la nuca –que no otro parece ser el resultado del juicio de Miami– para que emerja su verdadera naturaleza primitiva. Y salga de su boca lo único que tiene para dar.

[Chavez] The boss of these sad extras, on his part, does not need to appeal to the emotional memory that Stanislavski advised. He just needs to feel the breath of international justice on his neck -which is nothing less than the Miami trial - for his true primitive nature to emerge. And from his mouth leaves the only thing he has to offer.

Truly a great way to view Chavez words last Thursday night.


-The end-