SHAKESPEARE IN VENEZUELA

While the focus of the world is on Ukraine, Putin’s Russia, Iraq, nukes in Iran, et al, it has become obvious to a small number of folks in Washington that the world’s most dangerous man is not in any of these places and is off most everyone’s radar scope: Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

Imagine Fidel Castro in the prime of his life with billions of dollars of oil money. Given his pathological hatred of America, what do you think he would spend his money on? Suppose he thought the President of the United States was trying to knock him off – how do you think he would respond?

A billionaire Castro would make huge oil deals with the Communist Chinese, and buy huge amounts of weaponry from the Russians – including MiG 29’s.

He would support huge Marxist guerilla movements like FARC in Colombia and give them sanctuary for their massive drug smuggling operations.

He would organize covert organizations like the Sao Paulo Forum in cooperation with Brazil’s leftist leader Lula, to provide money and support for every subversive left-wing outfit in Latin America.

He would pay for a secret police even more efficient and oppressive than a poor Castro could, and systematically turn his country into a totalitarian dictatorship.

And he would sneeringly extend his middle finger to the United States, knowing how dependent it was on his oil.

Getting a little nervous now? For that’s Chavez – a billionaire Castro. If you’re nervous, think how much are the folks in Washington who understand all of this. So nervous that not a word is being spoken about the possible targeting of President Bush by Chavez’s agents in Santiago, or by FARC in Colombia. Notice how fast the Colombian officials were made to recant after they whispered to the press about the FARC plot.

Not a word is said publicly because that would be to acknowledge Chavez has declared war on the US – and thus obligate military action against him. Far better to be completely quiet and take action just as quietly.

Well, OK, there was one White House guy who couldn’t stand it any longer, and when asked by a reporter earlier this week about Chavez’s arms deal with Putin, replied, “We shoot down MiGs.”

So let’s cut to the chase: Being suspected of attempting to target the President is very, very unhealthy. There is a quite simple solution to the problem of Hugo Chavez – simple, quick, and permanent. It is rapidly becoming the only solution.

It is a solution that must be effected not just for the security of the POTUS, nor to secure a vital supply of oil, but for the security of Latin America as a whole, and for the Venezuelan people to have any chance of regaining their freedom. They have no hope otherwise.

The people of Cuba have no hope whatever of being free until Castro dies. The people of Zimbabwe have no hope whatever of being free until Mugabe dies. It is the same with the people of Venezuela and Chavez. Castro and Mugabe are old, their subjects have given up and wait for nature. Venezuelans have not yet given up, and Chavez is only 52.

Thus there is a lot of quoting Shakespeare by certain people, in Venezuela and… elsewhere. Their favorite play is Macbeth, particularly when Macbeth soliloquizes on the surcease of Duncan:

“If it were done, when ’tis done, then t’were well it were done quickly.”