The Devil

The Democrats, seemingly willingly impotent in the face of Bush’s assault on basic human rights are falling all over themselves to defend our own little dictator against his left-wing Venezuelan counterpart. I am especially surprised at Charlie Rangel’s comment which said, in effect, that only Americans should be able to criticize this president. A few blocks away in another part of Harlem, Chavez announced that he is expanding the Venezuelan government’s plan to provide free home heating oil to poor Americans. Maybe Rangel should spend less time waving the flag and a little more time looking after the poor in his district.

At the same time the Democrats are rallying around Bush, the Times reports that the President began a blistering new political offensive on Thursday, asserting that if Democrats won control of Congress from Republicans it would mean higher taxes, less money in the pockets of working families and damage to the economy. The Dems appear to be less willing to roll over on this issue than in the past. In the words of Representative Rahm Emanuel, Democrat of Illinois, who is leading the Democratic effort to take back the House, “This is from a guy who ran up three trillion in debt and has submitted a deficit every year for the last five years. If I were him, I wouldn’t be throwing stones in a glass house.” We’ll see if this rare exhibition of Democratic backbone lasts until the election.

And about Chavez, doesn’t anyone think he made some very valid points in his UN speech? Granted his histrionics at the podium were a bit over the top but his speech was the lead story on all major news outlets and I’m sure his performance played well at home where it matters. The US continues to ignore its southern neighbors at its own peril. While the administration fixates on illusory terrorists hiding under every rock, genuine grass-roots leftist governments are rising in Latin America. Chavez won six tightly observed elections and he has the support of his people precisely because he is helping lift the people in his country out of poverty. Chavez is also taking full advantage of the United States distraction over the Iraq war by building alliances with disillusioned countries all over the world, including in Africa and the Middle East. This is the long-term danger of trying to marginalize someone with Chavez’s obvious popularity. He is no Castro and Venezuela is no Cuba. It has oil and natural resources and isn’t going to let itself be pushed aside by the United States. In contrast to Chavez, Bush’s speech at the UN reminded me of the speeches given by Soviet premiers; long on rhetoric but short on the truth.