I got the title for this post from the description Jay at Stop the ACLU gave for Hugo Chavez’ comments at the UN. Hot Air will have the video.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush “the devil.”
“The devil came here yesterday,” Chavez said. “He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world.”
This would be pretty darned funny (it reads like an SNL skit character) if this guy didn’t control a country and a huge oil supply. The reaction from all will be interesting, and very telling — none so much though as that of the Democrats in this country.
Update: Bull Dog Pundit is watching for Dem reaction, too, especially from a certain Massachusetts Democrat who likes to drink and watch whales (that is what he said) with Chavez. [Update: ABP has revised the post — the “whale watching” was not done with Delahunt, but he set up a meeting where Chavez’s govt. and their political opposition could, along with other activities. Delahunt had a four hour one-on-one meeting with Chavez].
If you really think about it, how much different is calling Bush a devil than calling him a liar who kills innocent civilians in foreign countries to gain political advantage or to enrich his oil buddies or whatever latest reason is cited?
The Political PIt Bull notes the disturbing reaction from the UN audience and provides links to many others blogging on the subject.
Update II: Be sure to read the transcript at Musing Minds. It could easily appear in the dictionary as the definition of the Loony Left. I guess it would actually be more of an example than a definition. Whatever — it is deranged. I know I should be disturbed by it, and especially by the reaction the speech received, but it is so far out there that I just have trouble taking it seriously.
Update III: The DUers are loving them some Hugo.
Update IV: Darn. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this myself — Chavez has to be a Rove mole.
Update V: Don Surber has a picture of a Democrat tee shirt from 2004 depicting Bush as the devil, and he has reaction to the Chavez speech from John Bolton and others. Go take a look at the picture and read Don’s commentary (which still has me laughing). Here is a bit of it:
Meanwhile, Dow Jones report that UN Amassador John Bolton said the U.S. won’t respond to Chavez’s cartoon remark.
“We’re not going to address that kind of comic strip approach to international affairs,” Bolton said.
No word yet from the Devil on whether he is offended. He may be too busy making accommodations for Chavez and the entire government of Iran.
Update VI: Flashback…
(Picture via Reuters.)
I have not heard whether or not Chavez will be visiting Mother Sheehan this trip, but I am sure they are together in spirit.
Update VII: I love James Taranto’s line at Best of the Web referring to Hugo Chavez’ comment about smelling sulfur at the UN. “He who smelt it…”
NRO’s MediaBlog has video Chris Hitchens’ comments about the Chavez speech.
I agree completely with Sensible Mom’s commentary on Chavez and the reaction to the speech.
Update VIII: Buck Pennington would like to return to the 50’s and 60’s, at least as far as CIA political assassination policy goes.
Mitchell, you are a liar. Chavez did not steal the election – it was adjudged free and fair by all international observers. Why is it so hard for you to imagine that someone could be popular, even though you can’t stand him? I mean you do have the example here in America of someone that you like, and the majority can’t stand. What makes you think that Venezuelans think like you?
Photo Caption:
“Damn Ahmady, sloppy seconds.”
Sadly, to the rest of the world (including the US’s special allies, UK and Australia), Chavez makes a lot more sense than Bush.
Bush is after all the one who has to slaughter the population of Iraq to liberate them. (Perhaps he sees himself as being at the siege of Magdeburg, “kill them all, let God sort them out”), he is the one who has cosied up to Halliburton for all those tasty reconstruction contracts, he is the one who has ensured that the religious nutters in Afghanistan have been replaced by the Drug lords, he is the one who tacitly approves Israeli targetting of UN and civilian positions in Lebanon, he is the one who appoints the fervently anti-UN Bolton to be the US’ UN Ambassador. He is the one who had ‘God’ tell him to invade Iraq chasing non-existent WMD. Compared to him, Chavez looks like a model of stability and sanity.
Add to that the US track record in South America, (Chilean Coup, attack on Panama, Contra deals, etc) and most of the rest of the world doesn’t think much of Imperial America with it’s absolute belief in it’s own rectitude and supreme in it’s ignorance.
It will be real interesting to see if South America will be able to get its act together now that they seem to be throwing off the yoke of yankee imperialism. It was nice to see Bolivia throw out Halliburton after its total screwup of privatizing the water supply. There’s a bad bad idea, letting Halliburton run your national water supply.
Best of luck to any of my compadres to the South who may be reading this.
From Doug: “Bush is after all the one who has to slaughter the population of Iraq to liberate them.”
That’s right, Doug. Bush and company are busy killing people with IEDs and car bombs, while the “freedom fighters” are busy trying to build roads and school and provide all the infrastructure in Iraq.
More from Doug, “…he is the one who tacitly approves Israeli targetting of UN and civilian positions in Lebanon…”
Right again Doug! Israel checked the maps and looked for civilian targets to fire missiles upon. Then they hid out in UN buildings and in civilain apartments and fired more missiles from there. Hezbollah just tried to get everybody out of harms way. They used the money they had gotten from Syria to build bomb shelters to protect their citizens.
Remember, “Two legs bad, four legs good.”
Don’t you get it… he was taking the PISS out of Bush… that’s why everyone was laughing! I could imagine he and Castro planning the whole scenario last week and laughing their asses off. Think of all of the times Bush has used this type of name calling… the ‘Evil One’ etc… blah blah. While Chaves obscures the real threat of Muslim extremism in the world, as does Chomsky, he did make me laugh. Our fearless leader is an embarrassment.
“oh yeah Afghanistan is a picnic.”
No. Life in Afghanistan is better now than it was prior to the 9.11 attacks. You don’t turn a nation that was ruled by tyrants into a perfect democracy overnight. Don’t forget that many of our American founding fathers were slave owners. Would it have been better if they’d chucked the whole democracy process altogether? That’s what you seem to be suggesting for Afghanistan.
And the original point was that feared leaders – like say Hitler or Stalin – don’t respond kindly to attacks on their soil. The German attack on the Soviet Union resulted in the enslavement of Eastern Europe for half a century. In Afghanistan, the exact opposite happened after 9.11. So explain to me what the world has to fear from George W. Bush. I can, however, understand why murderous tyrants like Chavez are afraid of him.
“Actually, GWB & co did a half-assed job, then pulled out early so that we can invade Iraq.”
The last superpower to invade Afghanistan -in 1979 – would clearly disagree with that verdict.
The brilliance of the 2001 Afghanistan campaign was that it was executed with a minimal number of US and NATO troops. We’ve armed anti-Taliban forces and they’ve done a great deal of the fighting. It’s their country, and they should be the ones fighting for their freedom.
Again though, we’re talking about establishing democracy in two places where it didn’t exist before. Who gets the credit for that? Not Hugo Chavez. Not the Iraninan nut case. They don’t even believe in democracy. And what do they have in common with many Europeans who hate Bush? They’d love to see the US, and democracy fail in Iraq.
It’s not something I’d be proud of.
Are you suggesting that Bush did NOT speak as if he owns the world?
Are you suggesting that the so-called Bush Doctrine of “pre-emptively” attacking countries is NOT arrogant?
Are you suggesting that promoting torture is NOT the work of Satan?
And finally, are you suggesting that, when Bush invokes GOD, he is NOT being blaspehemous?
The trolls are killing this site. Go play in your own sandboxes please. While I am only one voice, having to sift through this crap is getting old quickly.
I love seeing you monkeys who’ve never set foot in Latin America trying to opine about Chavez. You’re as ridiculous a clown as he is.
If you really want an eye opener, talk to all the average people who’ve been fodder for the “revolutionary forces” in Lat. Am. You’ll not get a whole lot of support for your “moral superiority.”
These are not children and they are not idiots; nor are the Iraqis. Before you opine about whether they prefer freedom or tyranny, I’d ask ’em first.
I’ve spoken with countless people in Lat. Am. who think the Left, including Chavez, Kirschner, Morales, Castro, and Ortega are a bunch of know-nothing demogogues. Which they are, of course. But the Left here don’t think it worth investigating it; they just assume that if was U.S. “Imperialism” that led to all the problems.
You guys open your mouths, and expose your ignorance every day. If I were you, I keep quiet lest you continue to expose your foolishness.
Wow, I just popped over to the DU and those people are nuts! They are already setting themselves up as outsiders to whatever the Dems eventually do because they are NUTS! Nothing will ever please them, nothing.
Peter F., my thoughts exactly. Lucky for us neither has the balls that Hitler did. They don’t even have Sadaams balls.
Hey Tommo, you are nuts! So, I guess you plan on killing the more than 1/2 the country that voted for the people in power now too huh? Why don’t you try seceding from the country or just move out.
If they were as evil as you say, you would be dead right now. Also, I bet if they asked for volunteers there would be no shortage.
Instead of proving you’re and idiot, why don’t you get out there and do something positive to prove you are better than the rest of us. Why don’t you run for office and astound us with your foreign policy. Oh right, you’re an idiot.
The trolls are killing this site. Go play in your own sandboxes please. While I am only one voice, having to sift through this crap is getting old quickly.
This is the sum total of your postings here, Oneil. I don’t find one engaging thought, a single useful fact or any kind of debatable analysis to support anything you obviously believe.
All I see is juvenile vitriol.
Even for those I disagree with, I respect their grasp of issues and their willingness to back up their debate.
From you, all we seem to see is an angry little “troll” who hasn’t a single original thought. That’s likely because everyone here is smarter than you.
Take your nastiness and ignorance somewhere else. You’re exposed for what you are here.
“Are you suggesting that Bush did NOT speak as if he owns the world?”
If Bush thought he owned (or America) owned the world, he sure wouldn’t be speaking at the UN, or asking for their help.
“Are you suggesting that the so-called Bush Doctrine of “pre-emptively” attacking countries is NOT arrogant?”
Arrogant? Saddam lost a war, signed a surrender agreement, and refused to cooperate after twelve years and over 15 UN resolutions. Why no talk about Saddam’s arrogance?
Do words not have meaning? Do actions not have consequences? That’s why I’d never trust a liberal who talks about ‘diplomacy’. Diplomacy is only effective if the consequences for non-compliance are real.
Are you suggesting that promoting torture is NOT the work of Satan?
Why would the administration promote torture – something that is politically unpopular? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because it saves American lives. Satan has nothig to do with it.
And finally, are you suggesting that, when Bush invokes GOD, he is NOT being blaspehemous?
Lots of presidents have invoked the name of God. Why do you single out Bush as being blasphemous? Give me a quote to back up your charge.
Wow, I just popped over to the DU and those people are nuts! They are already setting themselves up as outsiders to whatever the Dems eventually do because they are NUTS! Nothing will ever please them, nothing.
Peter F., my thoughts exactly. Lucky for us neither has the balls that Hitler did. They don’t even have Sadaams balls.
Hey Tommo, you are nuts! So, I guess you plan on killing the more than 1/2 the country that voted for the people in power now too huh? Why don’t you try seceding from the country or just move out.
If they were as evil as you say, you would be dead right now. Also, I bet if they asked for volunteers there would be no shortage.
Instead of proving you’re and idiot, why don’t you get out there and do something positive to prove you are better than the rest of us. Why don’t you run for office and astound us with your foreign policy. Oh right, you’re an idiot.
The trolls are killing this site. Go play in your own sandboxes please. While I am only one voice, having to sift through this crap is getting old quickly.
This is the sum total of your postings here, Oneil. I don’t find one engaging thought, a single useful fact or any kind of debatable analysis to support anything you obviously believe.
All I see is juvenile vitriol.
Even for those I disagree with, I respect their grasp of issues and their willingness to back up their debate.
From you, all we seem to see is an angry little “troll” who hasn’t a single original thought. That’s likely because everyone here is smarter than you.
Take your nastiness and ignorance somewhere else. You’re exposed for what you are here.
Jack Oneill is entirely correct. You guys are a bunch of losers without a clue of what you’re talking about.
Hopefully you guys aren’t in the primary school teaching profession; I’ve got a newborn, and every time I see the lunacy of the Lefties, it leaves me concerned for her. I want her to think, read, and understand, not parrot something she read on a website, or make wild, baseless arguments.
The Dems: The Original Culture of Intellecutal Corruption.
You guys are a bunch of losers without a clue of what you’re talking about.
They why even engage in the debate, Mitchell? Are you SO ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE OPINION if they deters from your own? Obviously.
And, to be specific, there are many on the right who don’t hold your opinions as well. Are they all “lunatics?”
You’re just an angry little man like your friend Oneil. Go back under your rock and get a clue.
Hey thanks for stopping in Stephie, you’ve added so much more to this discussion with your witty remarks. I bow before your writing prowess and your firm grasp of the topic at hand.
Now, do you actually have an opinion on the topic or are you just defending your troll buddies?
I see that Rangel and Pelosi have finally come out to publicly disagree with Chavez, I wonder what their “base” will think of that. Apparently Hugo went further in the streets of Harlem poking more fun at Bush. I wonder what would happen to him in his country; would he have to kill himself if he insulted himself in the mirror?
“Hugo, your hair looks like crap today”
“Who said that, I will kill you for saying that…”
Steph; In a word, yes. I am all-powerful, like a Super Hero. Well, yeah; like President Bush!
Or, Kkkarl Rove, take your favorite.
The reason your arguments don’t hold up beyond dumb ass level, is that there are no 1) relevant 2) facts 3) bearing on the issue.
Not all facts are factually important. And in your case, not all your facts are facts.
It is astonishing the utterly non-progressive people that “progressives” will fervently support solely because they hate Pres. Bush that much.
You didn’t see conservatives talk about how great a guy Milosevic was for insulting Clinton.
-=Mike
Bush: You’re evil
Chavez: You’re the devil
Not much to choose betwen them, is there?
God, have mercy on Mr. Chavez.
John Q,
I’m the devil.
Don’t insult my name by throwing in Bush and Chavez.
I’m not THAT evil.
Sincerely,
The Devil
If Bush were the Devil? Chavez and Ahmajinadad would be worshipping Him at the UN. Not insulting Him.