Venezuela expells the U.S. ambassador...

[FrodeMk3]

     I'm gonna start this one up, to kinda keep tabs' on what's going on. Here's a news linky:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080912/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_us

Anyways, in the past, one of the acts that immediately precipitated hostilities was the expulsion of foreign/enemy diplomats. This story might be worth following, to try to pick out what's going on...and it's funny that it co-incided with the arrival of the visiting Russian bombers.

Also, if any of you fellas' closely following the election pick up on any bits' from the candidates about this latest development, please share...

[Hangtime]

"Chavez made the move in solidarity with Bolivia after his Andean ally expelled the U.S. diplomat there, accusing him of aiding violent protests. He said a new American ambassador will not be welcome in Caracas "until there's a U.S. government that respects the people of Latin America," suggesting that diplomatic relations will be scaled back until President Bush leaves the White House."

The russian bombers musta been carrying nukes.

when the hell is the CIA gonna pull the plug on the chip in this guys head?

[Elfie]

I seriously doubt that we are going to attack Venezuela, or that Venezuela is going to attack us. I think this is just more garbage from a paranoid lunatic.

[Hangtime]

this guy actually needs a tin foil hat.

[FrodeMk3]

"Chavez made the move in solidarity with Bolivia after his Andean ally expelled the U.S. diplomat there, accusing him of aiding violent protests. He said a new American ambassador will not be welcome in Caracas "until there's a U.S. government that respects the people of Latin America," suggesting that diplomatic relations will be scaled back until President Bush leaves the White House."

The russian bombers musta been carrying nukes.

when the hell is the CIA gonna pull the plug on the chip in this guys head?

Hang, I would think that if they actually flew over armed, with live warheads, and it was found out, there would be a poopstorm in both the press and capitol hill. However, it's only two, not something like twenty...I do wonder, though, if Putin would be crazy enough to gift Nuclear weapons' to someone like Chavez.

[Hangtime]

Lets see.. coupla bears, russian navy port calls... yeah that's it.

He just wants us to think he's a nutball with a nuke.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the oval office this morning.

this really gettin to be an interesting world.

[cpxxx]

It's pretty standard stuff. Chavez needs the US as the enemy to deflect his people from the realities of his own failures as a leader and the poverty of many of his citizens despite all the oil revenues. Iran uses the same method. The external threat idea keeps people compliant. He's a man out of his depth and fears the consequences of internal dissent.

On the other hand he is probably right. The US government probably wants his head. But to be honest as long as he sells his oil to the USA. He is safe. If he cuts off the oil. His country goes broke and he falls. He's a man on the brink and he knows it.

[-tronski-]

The Chinese and Indians will eagerly buy all the oil the USA doesn't want.

 Tronsky

[croduh]

It's pretty standard stuff. Chavez needs the US as the enemy to deflect his people from the realities of his own failures as a leader and the poverty of many of his citizens despite all the oil revenues. Iran uses the same method. The external threat idea keeps people compliant. He's a man out of his depth and fears the consequences of internal dissent.

Isn't that what the current US administration is doing?

[1pLUs44]

= Chavez

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

The Chinese and Indians will eagerly buy all the oil the USA doesn't want.

 Tronsky

The problem is, it isn't nearly as profitable for Chavez, and China and India aren't going to make up the difference, either.

[IronDog]

Another lil Hitler!I wish he'd attack one of his neighbors,and give us a reason to add Valenzuela to the U.S.A.'s ever expanding global police force list of countries to be reformed.I'm sure the C.I.A. is working on a method of dispatching him.
IronDog

[Jackal1]

Don`t know what else is to be expected. The puppet moves when the hand up the rear moves.

[Torque]

It's pretty standard stuff. Chavez needs the US as the enemy to deflect his people from the realities of his own failures as a leader and the poverty of many of his citizens despite all the oil revenues. Iran uses the same method. The external threat idea keeps people compliant. He's a man out of his depth and fears the consequences of internal dissent.

On the other hand he is probably right. The US government probably wants his head. But to be honest as long as he sells his oil to the USA. He is safe. If he cuts off the oil. His country goes broke and he falls. He's a man on the brink and he knows it.

well... when chavez came into office the poverty rate was like 55%... and it was 27 % last year... throw in country's double digit gdp growth and the truth comes quite clear.

of course chavez irks the socialist elite types and their ilk here... as he is beating them at their own game. after their failed coup attempt he took back 20 billion dollars of venezuela's money from their federal reserve and set up a south american bank... effectively throwing off the imf yoke of perpetual poverty which the country had been living under for decades. so now a percentage of wealth derived from oil sales actually stays in the country rather than it all being recycled through wall street and then loaned back to venezuela via the imf with the usual punitive 16% interest charges.

to their great pleasure chavez is helping a lot of other countries throw off the yoke of the imf... pissing off the socialist to no end. he curbed the flow of petrodollars to wall street effectively stopping venezuela and other countries from subsidizing the the socialist's economy... hence the recent frothing by the socialist elites and the credit crunch for wall street and the housing market crash.

[john9001]

Citgo gas stations are owned by Venezuela, just saying.