And So Will Stephen Harper
When it comes to ideology, Hugo Chavez is the polar opposite of the Bush/Harper axis of profit. That’s why they hate him so much. Look for a lot more anti-Venezuela noise coming out of Washington and Ottawa over the next while.
Chavez wants to be President of Venezuela for life, but he wants to do it by a democratic, popular vote. This will require changes to the country’s constitution, which voters are expected to approve on December 2.
His biographer, Alberto Barrera Tyszka says that Chavez is carrying out "a seizure and re-direction of power by legitimate means".
This story in this morning’s New York Times is beyond interesting.
Jim
The best thing to happen right now would be for a credible Socialist leader on the international level to make a very public offer to tutor Chavez in what responsible socialism is really all about, viz. a highly nuanced and therefore precarious model in today’s greedy world.
Perhaps Jack Layton fits that description. But then he would have to describe himself as a socialist, not a centrist. And it’s unlikely he’d be willing to piss off Washington in the process.
Venezuelan oil wealth, bureaucratic bloat and “socialist” presidency for life has an ominous ring to it, not a melange I would consider viable.
Do I get a pass-mark in “Sense of History”?