Good riddance - Hugo Chavez
From the
Associated Press:
Hugo Chavez, fiery Venezuelan leader, dies at 58
President Hugo Chavez was a fighter. The former paratroop commander and fiery populist waged continual battle for his socialist ideals and outsmarted his rivals time and again, defeating a coup attempt, winning re-election three times and using his country's vast oil wealth to his political advantage.
A self-described "subversive," Chavez fashioned himself after the 19th Century independence leader Simon Bolivar and renamed his country the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
He called himself a "humble soldier" in a battle for socialism and against U.S. hegemony. He thrived on confrontation with Washington and his political opponents at home, and used those conflicts to rally his followers.
Chavez named Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his chosen successor -- we will see if things turn out better for the poor Venezuelan people. He stole the oil money and gave them bread and circuses. The national infrastructure is crumbling because he would invite foreign companies in to modernize things and then he would nationalize those companies when things were done -- telephone, electrical, highways, etc...
Posted by DaveH at March 5, 2013 3:24 PM