Hugo Chavez, who famously turned away three U.S. Navy relief ships full of construction engineers to help Venezuelan mudslide victims in 1999,
 is now sneering at the U.S. for its hurricane disaster in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Alternately offering to lead an aid effort, touting Fidel Castro's disastrous performance during Hurricane Dennis,  and hurling abuse at Bush,  Daniel Duquenal correctly points out that Chavez is effectively mocking the U.S. in a dark hour. This happens even as Chavez is making a bid to confound Americans with a highly suspect offer of cheap gas for the U.S. poor, to be distributed by Jesse Jackson and Danny Glover — in an effort to subvert U.S. politics. It's a 'gift' offer that shouldn't be touched with a barge pole.

Chavez's vicious ravings in the wake of the worst natural disaster to hit the U.S. in a century are about the equivalent of Arab terrorists dancing in the streets in the wake of 9/11, something we are unlikely to forget.

A.M. Mora y Leon 09 01 05