Boycott Citgo?

Sometimes I think the world is topsy turvy. Case in point: Hugo Chavez. He's the leader of Venezuela who famously attacked George Bush a few weeks ago in what can be described as rather inelegant speech at the U.N. He referred to Bush as the devil and theatrically waved his hand in front of his face to wave the "stench" away. The New York tabloids had a field day with it and expressed their outrage. Politicians were livid! Me, I thought it was great theater.

The problem is i have more respect for what he says than what George Bush does. I wish I didn't feel that way but I do. All the stated reasons in going to Iraq in 2003 has been proven false. The continuous statements by the Bush Adminstration on how they always said the war would take a long time rings false. If Bush had said in 2003 the war would last more than three years no one would have supported it.

Hugo Chavez was also democratically elected, something George Bush could not claim in 2000. When a coup erupted in 2002 and the military installed the new government t George Bush quickly recognized that government that took over Venezuela rather than the democratic elected Chavez. Our reasons for being in Iraq may have been muddled over time, but one constant has been the call for a democratic government. If we don't support a democracy just because it's socialist, what happens if Iraq elects a terrorist-friendly government?

I know Hugo Chavez is a Socialist perhaps even a Communist. However, if that's how they want to run their country, that's their business, we can't really interfere if their actions don't extend beyond their borders.


Anyhow, there has been a call to boycott Citgo because they are a Venezuelan state run oil company that has committed atrocities like providing cheap heating oil to the citizens of Maine last winter when oil prices were high. Of course that's a typical commie tactic to help the poor, so I guess it makes sense to boycott Citgo. But when you compare Venezuela to every other country we buy oil from, Venezuela looks better in comparison. Remember, we still get oil from the countries that bred the terrorists that gave us 9-11.

Still, he is a thug, a clown. The country would be better without him. He was democratically elected and we should support that over military coups and dictatorships. We need to have the moral upper hand. Bush makes it hard with his actions.