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Crybaby Chavez Won`t Restore Ties to Peru

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, acting like a bull in the china shop that is South America, has stated that Venezuela will not restore diplomatic ties with Peru until president-elect Alan Garcia apologizes for statements made by Mr. Garcia during the recent electoral campaign in his country. Garcia stated that Mr. Chavez was ?shameless? (with Chavez responding in kind that Garcia was a ?thief?), accusing the combative Venezuelan president of interfering in Mr. Garcia?s run-off election race with a leftist politician in Peru, Ollanta Humala.

Chavez touts himself as a leftist and with Bolivia?s Evo Morales and Cuba?s dictator Fidel Castro has sought to create an anti-American leftist bloc in South America. A former military officer who once staged a failed coup in Venezuela, since being elected to office Chavez has acted more and more like an authoritarian while accusing the United States of plotting to attack him even as Washington has stated it has never had any such intentions. Before the recent run-off election between Peru?s Garcia and Humala, Chavez had threatened to cut ties if Garcia won.

The march of anti-American leftist politicians in South America must be disturbing to Washington, and the situation hasn?t been helped by Chavez?s mocking the United States around the world and Bolivia?s first Indian president nationalizing the oil industry in that country. Venezuela has also sought military hardware from Russia and has been working closely with the Islamic Republic of Iran, also not a friend of the United States of America. It may be that one day soon Hugo Chavez?s paranoia about a non-existent U.S. attack on him will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.