Chavez Bedevils Pres; Rangel To The Rescue
Author: Tom Attea

At least, Washington can agree to come together to defend one
of its own. The politcos did just that in response to Hugo
Chavez calling President Bush "the devil" in a speech at the
United Nations.

Commendably, Representative Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat
no less, came forward fittingly irate to say, "I want President
Chavez to please understand that even though many people in the
United States are critical of our president, that we resent the
fact that he would come to the United States and criticize
President Bush."

Even the flamingly critical Reverend Jesse Jackson, while
noting the US did attempt a coup of Mr. Chavez, said, "… my
appeal to him is get beyond the anger…. I think that he should
not be calling President Bush a 'devil.' President Bush should
not be calling him 'evil' or calling him a 'tyrant.' We must
cease these hostilities.''

Of course, the usual defenders signed in.

Representative John Boehner of Ohio called Huge Ego a
''power-hungry autocrat'' and his display before the UN ''an
embarrassment and an insult to the American people.''

Chavez, meanwhile, employed the usual tactic of spurious
internationals by trying to drive a wedge between the American
people and their government, vowing that he's a friend of the
American people and, to prove it, he announced he intends to
more than double his supply of discounted heating oil to poor
Americans.

While some politicians dissented from the oil for appeasement
program, Rangel admitted it was effective and expects his
district will get even more of the black diplomatic elixir next
year. But, remaining on the side of President Bush, he went on
to say, ''But you don't come into my country, you don't come
into my congressional district, and you don't condemn my
president."

Good for you, Chuck.

Yet maybe the most telling thing about Chavez is, most
Americans still can't get used to the fact that Venezuela is
not a friendly nation. Many had even planned vacations to the
sunny country, which is, of course, not all that much farther
from the southernmost Antilles.

But we can see those tickets going up in smoke as readily has
his oil income from the numerous US corporations that are
seeking to power their processes with oil from countries that,
while they may never call the President an angel, at least,
have the sense to make their money and prudently refrain from
pumping venom.


About The Author: Tom Attea, humorist and creator of
http://NewsLaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway.
Critics have called his writing "delightfully funny," "witty,"
with "great humor and ebullience" and "good, genuine laughs."