RUDY GIULIANI IMPLYING THAT VENEZUELA IS "ENEMY" OF U.S.

Rudy Giuliani gave a speech yesterday to Hispanic small business leaders in Washington D.C. according to a report by Liz Sidoti, Associated Press writer, found on Yahoo! News. The article reports these words of Giuliani:

"I feel perfect freedom to point out that Hugo Chavez is a person who's acting against the interests of the United States. He's someone where we'd be in a much better position if we could cut him off. If we could say we don't want or need Venezuelan oil," Giuliani told reporters after the speech. "I don't think there's anyone that's more outspoken about how dangerous I think he is."

My question to Rudy is this: why is Mr. Chavez "dangerous," and how is Mr. Chavez acting against the interests of the United States? By calling President George Bush the "devil?" That certainly cannot be the reason. Words are words, nothing more than President Chavez's exercise of free speech. Should the United States consider Venezuela and Mr. Chavez "enemies" because when he spoke at the United Nations, Mr. Chavez called Mr. Bush the "devil?" Are these words of Mr. Chavez sufficient grounds for the U.S. to declare war against Venezuela? Obviously, for most people, they are not a casus belli, but I suspect this where Rudy Giuliani's critique of Mr. Chavez will lead, given the propensity of some people like Giuliani to solve perceived problems of the United States by dropping bombs and sending war planes.

Or does Rudy Giuliani think that Chavez is dangerous because he has nationalized Venezuela's oil wells? If so, than President Vladimir Putin is just as dangerous, because Putin has nationalized Russia's oil and gas business over the last several years. But I am sure that Giuliani would hesitate to characterize Putin and Russia as enemies of the United States because of Russia's sizeable ability to defend itself.

No, it is not Hugo Chavez but Rudy Giuliani who is the person most dangerous to the interests of the United States. By popping off against Hugo Chavez and claiming that he is an "enemy," Rudy Giuliani shows that like Bush he is liable to get the United States involved in another militaristic adventure leading to loss of many lives, without having given it much thought.