Laying the groundwork for future military action in Venezuela

I've posted on this before a few times. IndyMedia and Al Giordano have searchable sites where you can find more info. Here's my Venezuela page. And Greg Palast has some interesting comments from a recent visit to Venezuela, as well as a good analysis of how the U.S. and the World Bank have ruined the economies of and plundered third world countries.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez resists those attempts and refuses to be bullied into the "free trade" deals that have helped wreck other countries.

Although Chavez was democratically elected, he runs a socialist government and will not sell out the country's assets to foreign interests. Another thing you should know is that Venezuela has lots of oil.

Therefore, do not be surprised when you start to see more articles like this:

January 05

Venezuela's neighbors are bothered by close ties between the Venezuelan and Cuban governments and their potential dangers to democracy, the State Department said Monday.

Department spokesman Adam Ereli also said Cuba remains an antidemocratic force in the region but stopped just short of implicating Venezuela in antidemocratic activities.

Privately, however, administration officials say Cuba and Venezuela are working together to oppose pro-American, democratic governments in the region with money, political indoctrination and training.

...As for Venezuela's ties to Cuba, U.S. officials say the alliance combines Castro's political savvy with surplus cash that Chavez obtains from oil exports.

...Despite Venezuelan denials, they said, Chavez has supported Colombia's FARC and ELN rebels and allowed use of western Venezuela as a springboard for attacks inside Colombia.  article

Watch for Chavez to be linked to terrorism and the need to "liberate" Venezuelans from their oil assets to become increasingly common themes.

Bush and Chavez are to meet soon at a hemispheric summit meeting January 12-13 in Mexico. Chavez is not one of those who are intimidated by His Slowliness and American imperialism.

From a recent post on Greg Palast's blog:

Hugo Chavez has an attitude problem. Only last April the Venezuelan president escaped a kidnapping by the Chairman of the nation's Chamber of Commerce. This weekend, Chavez is facing a recall petition by the angry rich of Venezuela. He also faces the wrath of an angry rich American president who does not appreciate Chavez' bad attitude toward globalization a la Rumsfeld.

...Venezuela, not Saudi Arabia, has long been the USA's largest supplier of foreign oil. By combining Venezuela's huge state-owned oil company with Ecuador's, Brazil's and Trinadad's (all nations now headed by elected leftists), Chavez could create a bargaining hammer for hemispheric trade talks which, up to now, have been mostly a one-way lecture from the USA.

"If Exxon and Mobil can combine, and Texaco and Phillips, why not PetroBrasil and PdVSA?" Chavez asks, referring to the Brazilian and Venezuelan government operators.

It should be an interesting meeting.