GEORGE BUSH IS BIGGER THREAT TO DEMOCRACY THAN HUGO CHAVEZ

Jonathan Diehl writes in today's The Washington Post on the excesses of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

Diehl writes:

"During eight years in office, Chávez has already taken control of Venezuela's courts, congress, television stations and petroleum industry; his congress granted him the right to rule by decree. The constitutional rewrite will allow him to control the central bank and its reserves, override elected local governments with his own appointees, declare an indefinite "state of emergency" in which due process and freedom of information would be suspended, and use the army to maintain domestic political order under the slogan "fatherland, socialism or death!" "

But wait! If we substitute the word "Bush" for "Chavez," the sentence would be more correct. Bush has taken extraordinary emergency powers; he has had the Congress give him war-making ability; he has taken control of the Supreme Court by naming Alito and Roberts, two neo-con favorites of Dick Cheney.

Mr. Diehl, how come you chose to write about Hugo Chavez instead of George Bush? Bush is the bigger threat to democracy.

Bush has siezed extra constitutional powers. He has suspended habeas corpus. Bush has used the word "homeland" to scare Americans. He has incited anti-immigrant campaigns with his Homeland Security Department. Bush has politicized the Justice Department. At least Chavez is engaging in a referendum by the people before he takes full control. And above all, Chavez has not invaded and occupied another country.