It’s lonely being a leftist revolutionary
It must be a lonely planet out there for Hugo Chavez. Fidel Castro, who appears to be Chavez’s best buddy, is lying on his death bed, which must be a real buzzkill. Maybe Chavez could chill in Beijing instead of Havana? Nah, China’s communist leaders, who just a handful of years ago seemed keen to pick a fight with the United States, have gone fully coo-coo for capitalism. They’ve turned ...
It must be a lonely planet out there for Hugo Chavez. Fidel Castro, who appears to be Chavez's best buddy, is lying on his death bed, which must be a real buzzkill. Maybe Chavez could chill in Beijing instead of Havana? Nah, China's communist leaders, who just a handful of years ago seemed keen to pick a fight with the United States, have gone fully coo-coo for capitalism. They've turned coat on their comrades in North Korea, and much of their communist rhetoric is now little more than laughable. You can tell all of this is making Chavez feel lonely. Because he's not even content with antagonizing Americans any more. Now he's picking fights closer to home, calling Brazil, which is headed by a fellow leftist in President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, a "puppet" of the United States.
Sounds like Chavez needs a vacation—after all, it’s summer. So Venezuela’s illiberal leader is currently in Russia trying to find some fun. Too bad the Russians aren’t exactly thrilled with his company. Russia’s Duma thought so much of Chavez that they denied him the courtesy of speaking before their assembly. And just to make clear to everyone else that Chavez’s visit doesn’t mean much at all, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an invitation to hang with George W. Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine next week. Ouch. Don’t let the Kremlin door hit you on the way out, Hugo.
Surely his next stops, Iran and Belarus, both of which are lovely this time of year, will be more welcoming. But I’m not so sure. Chavez seems like the kind of bad houseguest that sleeps on your couch until noon, drinks all your beer, and leaves dishes in the sink. Nobody likes that.
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