March 5, 2005
"I DOUBLE-DOG DARE YOU" (Via WatchingAmerica.com)
Chavez renews oil threat to US (News24.com, 3/04/05)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez renewed a threat on Friday to halt oil supplies to the United States if Washington "hurts" the Latin American country.Because we would never to to war with a proto-dictator over oil?Relations between Venezuela, which exports the bulk of its oil to the United States, and Washington have been badly strained since Chavez last month accused Washington of plotting to have him assassinated.
"If there is any aggression, there will be no oil," Chavez, who arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India told journalists, the Press Trust of India reported.
"We want to supply oil to the US. We're not going to avoid this supply of oil unless the US government gets a little bit crazy and tries to hurt us," he said after a ceremonial welcome at the presidential palace.
(Also, there's a great response by the State Department to Chavez's charge that the US tried to have him assasinated: the charge is "ridiculous and untrue.")
Posted by David Cohen at March 5, 2005 8:41 AM"Ridiculous and untrue" but shortly to be the established fact of the leftist coffee and drinking circles around the world, every bit as much of the religion as Halliburton and Karl Rove's Jedi powers....
Posted by: BC Monkey at March 5, 2005 8:46 AMChavez really doesn't have as strong a hand to play as he claims against the US, regardless of his macho threats. His chest-pounding is intended to stengthen his base of power in Venezuela and to extort a few more dollars from US oil companies.
To really be effective, Chavez needs a better quality of crude (so that the special refining that is done in US-based but Venezuelan owned refineries would no longer be needed) or he needs another huge consumer of oil (to replace the US) near Venezuela. He has neither and is very much dependent on the US market for the money he needs to stay in power.
Posted by: capt mike at March 5, 2005 9:38 AMchavez needs a side-kick to help make these kinds of announcements. a dwarf would be good but is almost a cliche these days; perhaps a chief from one of the more colorful indigenous tribes.
Posted by: cjm at March 5, 2005 10:33 AMOver half of Venezuela's total exports, about 15% of their economy, goes to the US. You think a guy wants to be Castro and he goes and does something which makes you realize that he really wants to be Little Kim. How long is it going to take him to get a bouffant hairdo and start passing out recipes for boiled grass in the name of 'Bolivarismo?'
Posted by: Bart at March 5, 2005 11:15 AMbart: as soon as the new uniform designs are "put to bed" (re: how long before the bouffant hairdo")
"Ridiculous, untrue" but of course can always be put on the table.
Posted by: h-man at March 5, 2005 7:10 PMAs if anyone expected the State Department to say "Of course we're trying to kill him, but he's wily, takes after his old man."
(To paraphrase Dr. Evil.) ;)
Or in other words, "Heck if I know..."
Posted by: Mikey at March 5, 2005 7:58 PMCastro's head in Hugo's bed. Tonight.
Posted by: ratbert at March 5, 2005 9:53 PMridiculous and untrue
They must've botched the job, as usual. Try, try again...
Posted by: at March 6, 2005 2:38 AM