DON RUMSFELD SAYS HUGO CHAVEZ IS TYRANT - ET TU BRUTE?

Will wonders never cease? Donald Rumsfeld, the ex-Secretary of Defense, writes an op-ed in The Washington Post about the "dangers" of Hugo Chavez and the Chavez campaign to alter the Venezuela Constitution.

Rumsfeld writes that President Hugo Chavez has repeatedly threatened Venezuela's neighbors. He writes:

"He has repeatedly threatened its neighbors. In late November, Colombia's president, Alvaro Uribe, declared that Chávez's efforts to mediate hostage talks with Marxist terrorists from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, were not welcome. Chávez responded by freezing trade with Colombia."

This is a load of unsubstantiated bull. Mr. Rumsfeld is making wild and irresponsible charges about Hugo Chavez. Where has Mr. Chavez made any threats? He has indeed said that he does not want anything more to do with Colombia as long as Mr. Uribe is in charge, after Uribe said he did not want any more of Chavez' mediation with the FARC. But threats? Please Mr. Rumsfeld, quote chapter and verse or else withdraw this baseless accusation.

We all know that Hugo Chavez talks a lot, maybe too much. I personally hope Venezuelans vote "No" in Sunday's referendum on revising the Venezuelan Constitution. Nevertheless, Chavez is no "threat" to any of Venezuela's neighbors.

And to call him a "tyrant" is out of bounds. Rumsfeld should recognize the mote in his own eye. After all, Rumsfeld is the oen who pushed with Bush for the establishment of Guantanamo and the use of torture as in waterboarding. The tyrant is not Chavez but Rumsfeld himself, and above all Bush.