Hugo Chavez calls Bush "The Devil"

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Yes, because the two emerging markets of India and China would not be a market that would eat up those exports and then some. A market of potentially 2.5 billion people versus 330 million. Yeah, Venezuela is screwed without the US market.

So your saying China and India have more purchasing power than the US? Or will soon?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Arabs live in Japan, but it is not classified as an Arab country. The origins of this was your assumption that Afghanistan was an Arab nation. You can definitely water down that statement to 'some Arabs live in Afghanistan', but thats a far-cry from your initial presumption.

And I admitted that my initial assumption was wrong. You're STILL harping on it.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

I can't find the link, but a CIA analyst came forward and admitted that the US had operations to take out both Saddam Hussein and Chavez. I can't remember the operation names off the top of my head. I'll see if I can dig them up.

Much appreciated.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Yes, because the two emerging markets of India and China would not be a market that would eat up those exports and then some. A market of potentially 2.5 billion people versus 330 million. Yeah, Venezuela is screwed without the US market.

I don't think the people will be the important factor here. Once China and India, or either individually surpass the US in the amount of oil they use, then they will have more purchase power.

But then again, if the US can within that time span find other means of energy, oil won't be AS significant to the US market.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Azure

And I admitted that my initial assumption was wrong. You're STILL harping on it.

You laughed at someone who made a mistake. I thought it was pretty funny, given that you're prone to the same mistakes.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

You laughed at someone who made a mistake. I thought it was pretty funny, given that you're prone to the same mistakes.

I think it is pretty well written that Bush was governor of Texas.

The whole 'cowboy' issue. Cowboy diplomacy, etc, etc.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Azure

I think it is pretty well written that Bush was governor of Texas.

The whole 'cowboy' issue. Cowboy diplomacy, etc, etc.

Meh, I guess mistaking which state he was governor of is a bigger deal than mistaking the ethnicity of an entire nation... either way, seems that people in glass houses should lay off the rock-throwing.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Meh, I guess mistaking which state he was governor of is a bigger deal than mistaking the ethnicity of an entire nation... either way, seems that people in glass houses should lay off the rock-throwing.

If you say so.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Azure

If you say so.

I do. He made a mistake and you laughed at him, so I'll be pulling up your mistakes and see how much you laugh then.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

I do. He made a mistake and you laughed at him, so I'll be pulling up your mistakes and see how much you laugh then.

Whatever.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Whatever.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

You're confusing.

[Agamemnon]

Thats called 'laughing at you'. Get used to people laughing at you, it'll happen again.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Seriously, you two need to get a room.

Back on topic: it seems like there are two issues from which the debate in this thread stems--was it right/courageous of Chavez to criticize Bush? Does he/does Venezuela have some justification in that? On the other hand, was his rhetoric excessive?

I think the answer to both questions is yes. Surely it's not bad to stand up to the schoolyard bully--Bush needs to know (and is probably beginning to understand) that carrying a big stick is no good if you can't use it to hit anybody. Right now his stick is stuck in the little "Iraq" kid, which means that the U.S.'s other adversaries will probably feel a little emboldened until the U.S. manages to extricate itself from that mess. In the meantime, Chavez has a real, bonafide ideological argument with Bush--the argument between socialism (such as it is, I guess) and liberal bourgeois democracy. I happen to think Chavez is wrong, but he comes by his opinion honestly.

As for the rhetoric: I'm not sure what it's supposed to achieve--time will tell whether it proves to be an effective vote-getting tactic for Security Council purposes. Meanwhile, it makes him look like a bit of a hypocrite, since Venezuela owes part of its economic recovery to increased trade with its largest trading partner--the U.S.

I like Stephen Colbert's joke about Chavez' "sulfur" comment: "whoever smelt it dealt it."

[JohnnyFlame]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

This thread may have gotten a little off topic, but I'll add my two cents anyway.

I agree with Jon Stewart. This outburst really helps Bush. Chavez is doing George a big favour here. Jon's point was that it paints all those with a legitimate beef against Bush's policies as crackpots. Americans will hear Chavez, think "hey, what an idiot" and then go "I guess you have to be an idiot to hate Bush."

Furthermore, Americans seem to have this US (no pun intended) against the world mentality. They see the Republicans as the party that will stand up to their enemies (the rest of the world) and the Democrats as the party that would appease the enemies (again, the rest of the world). When you have another world leader spitting on the president, they see that as another attack on their country.

Odd as it may be, being called "The Devil" is probably going to do wonders for his approval rating.

No kidding. It might be just a 30 second soundbite but I don't have to hear a whole lot of this bozo or that idiot from Iran to know that if they say somebody is whatever or something didn't happen then I'm going to think or know the opposite.

Yeah Bush is the devil and the Holocaust never happened. Yep and you want me to take you seriously--Geez how do these idiots get to the top rungs of countries?

[Red Mile Style]

George Bush is the Devil.