"And as Chavez lost his Constitutional gamble on Dec. 2nd. he found himself losing all over. A spat with the King here, a spat with Uribe there and a surprising rejection of his project from his supporters was certainly not a promising framework for his future. And as problems in Venezuela become harder to figure out, Chávez traveled and likely got some advice from the master puppeteer in Havana, who suggested he try to get something out of the FARC, just for show. Temporary relief. He fell for it and so has the media.
The FARC, who could care little about Chavez in the end, offered a very token gift of three hostages, out of the more than 400 in their hands and certainly not the big international catch that everyone is waiting for, as Ingrid Betancourt is not in the package.
But leave it to Chavez and his Cuban media masters to play it up and the stupid international media to fall for it. Chávez held a press conference yesterday, doing the only thing he enjoys and knows something about: military operations. So, while problems mount in Venezuela, including more than 200 homicides over the Christmas season, which must certainly be a new record, Chavez likely put his military uniform and played with little mock up planes and helicopters, reliving his days of failure as a military Commander, but enjoying himself. "
The Devil's Excrement
