In his floor show at the UN, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez went from being belligerent to downright delusional. In a speech that drew a lot of praise from third-world countries, the embattled leader claimed to have documents that prove the US is planning to invade Venezuela. (ABC: Chavez: U.S. Plans to Invade Venezuela).
Part of his evidence against the US included a visit by US troops to Curacao, maintaining they were there on maneuvers. That the US has long used Curacao as an R&R location for troops was irrelevant to the paranoid leader. Chavez threatened to engage the US in a "100-year war" if invaded. At least he didn't threaten the "Mother of all battles". That would have frightened us. Of course, he also threatened to stop the flow of oil to the US if we invaded. Conveniently, he has not decreased his sale of oil to the US to date - something that would cripple his own economy - showing that he is in touch with at least some measure of reality.
What Chavez has yet to do is tell us why we would want to waste time, manpower, and money invading Venezuela. What he doesn't seem to realize is that he has absolutely nothing we need, and he poses no threat to either the US or our allies. He's a minor annoyance at best. For the moment, our focus is on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. Venezuela is merely a footnote in the Daily Brief, with Chavez's comments ranking somewhat lower than today's Doonsebury strip in the list of national security concerns. About all Chavez is doing is providing comic relief.
Of course, he did make one statement that I fully support. In his address to the UN, Chavez told world leaders that they should move UN headquarters out of New York. I agree. In fact, I'm willing to help them pack.
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