IS Hugo Chavez dying?

[Mediocrates]

Could be. Could be.

http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.co...vez-dying.html

Mr. Chávez has been in Cuba since June 8, when he was felled by a pelvic abscess for which he underwent an operation two days later. Soon after, Venezuelan officials said the flamboyant leader was in good health but would recuperate in Havana for a "few days."

Those few days have stretched to 11, punctuated by false alarms over the date of his return. On Monday, a ruling party lawmaker said Mr. Chávez was hours from touching down in Caracas and urged his supporters to prepare a "tremendous" welcome for him. The claim was quickly refuted on the Twitter account of Venezuela's Communications Minister Andres Izarra.

On Tuesday, Mr. Chávez made another virtual appearance. In a statement posted on Mr. Izarra's Twitter account, he lamented the death of another Venezuelan official who had sought medical treatment in Cuba.

"We don't know very much about [Chávez's] health, there is no official news, only partial reports," said Chávez critic Teodoro Petkoff, a former presidential candidate and current editor of the opposition newspaper Tal Cual.

Mr. Chávez raised concerns when he said, during a call to a Venezuelan television station two days after his operation, that there were no "malignant" signs found, a former top Venezuelan health official said.

The former official, who asked not to be named, pointed out that a pelvic abscess—a pus-filled cavity that can result from injury or infection—is a reaction to a condition. "His choice of words was a red flag," the official said.

The former official also said there was a possibility that Mr. Chávez would be hospitalized when he returned to Venezuela, another potential sign of the severity of his ailment. If it was a matter of simply treating an abscess, Mr. Chávez would likely not need a hospital at that point, the official said.

[bararallu]

Mossad or CIA?

[Cellis]

Jews...

[Mediocrates]

Cocaine and ghost pepper chilli?

[Kenneth]

He's dying....to murder democracy! ... but seriously who is El Pusidentos replacement?

[Mil]

Shakira, Shakira....

[Mediocrates]

In a serious vein, he is considered almost a deity in Venezuela. There has never been a succession plan. When he croaks, a civil war or something like that will erupt. And in the meantime, Iran and Hezbollah will be able to expand their influence. Expect to see a replay of the Cuban Missile Crisis soon and we know Obama's not up for it. Iranian nuclear tipped IRBMs based in Venezuela WILL be aimed at America in a few years.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/20...vez-passes-on/

[Chris Keller]

If Iran ever stations missiles in Venezuela, it will be an act of war against the United States. The United States would need to use whatever force it took to neutralize the threat.

Iran hankers to get back the influence it once had in world affairs under various Persian Empires. That is the reason it is reaching like this. The Iranians need to know that the New World is far beyond their legitimate historical interest.

I never liked Chavez, but after he claimed that America caused the Haiti Earthquake, I have come to regard him as a dangerous man who lives in a dream world.

[SpaceCowboy]

Well no, actually. If Iran were to station IRBM's in Venezuela, it would not be an act of war.

I agree that the US would likely destroy those missiles, which would be an act of war.

That's the way we roll.

[Mediocrates]

You think so. I don't. I'm not a conspiracy freak that imagines that Obama is a secret fascist Muslim communist, I just think he's indifferent and incompetent and is lead around by his advisers.

[SpaceCowboy]

You may be correct that Obama would not. Perhaps I spoke too soon. I think any other American president would. We risked all to keep Russian IRBMs out of Cuba in the sixties. I doubt we would be willing to give up that precedent for minor players like Chavez and Iran.

Your assessment of Obama is similar to mine. He never had any sort of executive experience and he is operating way above his pay grade. Had the great financial crash of 08 not occurred, I don't think Obama would have been elected.

[Chris Keller]

I also agree that Mr. Obama is not a Muslim (I would know if he was), and not by any means a fascist or a communist. He is a wee bit socialistic, but most Americans are, even if they do not say so.

I do not think he is indifferent either. Where I think he might have a stumbling block is in his political correctness, his failure to see how geography affects political reality, and his isolation from the middle class of America.

These things said, I think he will be President after 2012 because of the Social Security and Medicare issues.

A lot of the Republicans have people like me totally freaked out - these Ryanites are a new breed, quite unlike the Republicans in the days of Reagan.

If Iran stations such missiles, it would rock the boat, and the missiles would need to be eliminated. This said, the biggest threat to America rises from within: It is the possible loss of the American middle class. If you look at history, countries mostly die from internal decay. They may fall from external attack, but it is the internal rot that sets them up for this to succeed, most of the time.

[bararallu]

How do you figure that "most Americans are" ... "Socialistic". Most Americans, like most humans, enjoy a free lunch, but that doesn't associate them with the manufacture of elitist dictatorship under the cover of social justice cum collectivism.

Be great if Ryan ran for President. Cutting deep into entitlements is the only way to get out of this rut.

[Chris Keller]

Things like Medicare, Social Security, welfare, and the insurance industry are socialistic. They do not have socialism as a name though.

Socialism does not necessarily imply a heavy handed dictatorship. Note the governments of a lot of European countries. A balance between socialism and capitalism works well if it is managed right. I do not like unbridled capitalism or socialism run wild. Both are harmful.

I also want to say that if Obama gives up on the Social Security/Medicare issue, (he might) that he might well lose the 2012 election. It is the Baby Boomers who will be the main population that sees their interest at stake.

I agree that entitlements need to be cut, but not all of them. Public employee salaries and benefits in my state are totally out of hand; those need to be reined in.

[Achihud]

This said, the biggest threat to America rises from within: It is the possible loss of the American middle class. If you look at history, countries mostly die from internal decay. They may fall from external attack, but it is the internal rot that sets them up for this to succeed, most of the time.

The internal rot is called deregulation (for short term profit) and undermining laws that were good before. I believe that even my bank somewhere early 2008 tried to sell me those toxic CDO's. Luckily I always trust my instinct. If it takes too long an explanation, if things are not dummy-transparrent, my line is; I will look into it. And after that, I haven't found the time yet.