He hates US. He really hates US.
^Thats a link.
Quote:
by Marc Burleigh
Sat Dec 1, 5:36 PM ETCARACAS (AFP) - President Hugo Chavez again threatened Saturday to halt oil exports if he sees US meddling in, or after, a hotly contested weekend referendum that could let him lead Venezuela for the rest of his life.
ADVERTISEMENT
"If it starts a process of destabilization, incites a civil war, not only will the United States not get any of the 3.2 million barrels (produced per day in Venezuela according to official figures) but nothing will go onto the market, not a drop," Chavez warned, explaining he would stop all oil exports.
"There will be no oil for anyone, and the price per barrel will go up to 200 dollars," he said in an hours-long encounter with reporters.
His comments reaffirmed a threat he made late Friday, in a final rally before Sunday's plebiscite. They also appeared to break election rules barring any campaigning the day before polling.
In the capital, some residents cheered Chavez's strong line.
"He did right! The United States has to know what will happen to it if it attacks us like it did Iraq and wants to do to Iran," said Jose Antonio Garcia, a 43-year-old off-duty police officer shopping for groceries in a market.
But a political analyst at the Central University of Venezuela, Tulio Hernandez, said: "The anti-American rhetoric is an old trick the regime uses to rally supporters. Chavez's tactic is to depict himself as a victim of the United States and the entire world."
Venezuela, an OPEC member, currently exports around 60 percent of its oil to the United States. The trade is worth 37 billion dollars a year at current prices, and supplies about 11 percent of US oil needs.
A fiercely anti-US leader who has nurtured ties with Iran and China, Chavez has repeatedly accused Washington of setting up resistance in the country, without advancing any evidence.
The escalation in his language comes as he faces the prospect of maybe losing Sunday's referendum.
The latest polls show a dead-heat in voter intentions -- setting the scene for street violence if the losing side refuses to recognize a close result.
The referendum calls for a scrapping of term limits for the president, opening the way for Chavez to stay on indefinitely past January 2013, when he is due to step down.
The 53-year-old president has said he would govern for life if the people backed him.
Changes to allow the government to take over the central bank, expropriate private property in the name of "economic socialism," and gag the media in times of emergency are also being proposed.
Opponents, whose number has swelled in past weeks with the defection of some Chavez allies, say the reforms would amount to making Venezuela a Cuba-like communist state, with an elected "dictator".
Chavez has dismissed those ranked against him as "traitors" acting to further US "imperialism."
The United States is not the only target of Chavez's verbal broadsides.
The leader has promised to nationalize Spanish banks in Venezuela if Spain's King Juan Carlos does not apologize for telling him to "shut up" at a recent summit.
And on Saturday he renewed his attacks on CNN, which he claimed was biased against him.
He claims the US network incited his assassination by showing his image with the caption "Who killed him?" and dismissed its explanation that it was merely an on-air mix-up with another story.
"Hitler could be the boss of CNN," Chavez said, adding that he was pursuing legal action against the company.
Apparently, the most popular mobile phone download in Spain last week was an actor portraying the King telling Chavez to shut up. Senor Chavez does not appear to be very good at making friends at the moment. He also appears to have a fixation with fascism, given that the reason the King told him to shut up was that he called Spain's prime minister a fascist.
I wonder whether BSCH and BBVA are shaking in their shoes right now, or laughing behind his back?
DW
As I understood it, it wasn't an actor but a cleaned-up rip of some news footage I saw of the King telling Chavez right i front of the cameras.
I could be wrong, though. Spanish current affairs're more your department than mine.
Incidentally, I heard the line "Why don't you shut up?" spoken by King Juan Carlos II has become quite popular among silkscreen shirts in Spain. I love European royalty, they're among the few semipolitical figures left in this world who can freely speak their minds. Also, DW, it wasn't just that. Chavez apparently continually interrupted Spain's PM's talking time and was evidently being a jerk to them during his own.
I'll second that.
The footage was being fairly heavily played on the US networks. I saw it on NBC, CNN and Fox.
According to the report I read, legally they're not allowed to use the King's voice, hence an actor had to do it. Mind you, I didn't pick this up direct from the Spanish press, so that could be wrong.
DW
After what I learned about Spanish defamation law during that whole cartoon business, that wouldn't surprise me, either.
Although that might just be the official versions - as I understood it, those were created after a lot of people ripped their own from the original anyway.
The ones showed on the US networks were the real thing, and oh my god was I glad that KJC3 shut him the fudge up.
So glad I don't really care for my Venezuelan background. I feel bad for the rest of my family who are stuck there, but I'll be damned if I ever want to set foot back in that place. Sorry, my many aunts, uncles, and cousins. If you wanna see my ass, you fly yo ass up here. Kay? Kay.
Yea i've got a very close friend in VZLA and she hates Chavez. She says she's thinking of moving in like 3 years actually. 
Didn't he get voted down Sunday though? Or something...?
The population voted down his plans to change the constitution and remove the limit on how long he could remain President. His position's still as it was, though.
Right. Well hey it's some sort of progress. *shrugs*
Do people still take him seriously? I say that in a joking manner but still...
