Demagogue

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is one of the Bush administration's second-tier bad guys--call them the Auxiliary of Evil. I have a hard time coming to a view on the guy, who has won elections but who also at the very least has demagogic tendencies. People's feelings about Chavez seem to be extreme in either direction, so it's difficult to know which information is reliable.

However, I do have to say that Chavez went too far in a rally on Sunday.

Relations have been going downhill fast lately, and Condoleezza Rice attacked Chavez again at her confirmation hearing last week. Chavez, who had previously called Rice "illiterate" concerning Latin America, responded at the Sunday rally, where he repeatedly referred to Condi as "Condolencia" (Condolence) Rice. This, I think, is legitimately funny. But then:

Just days after U.S. Secretary of State-nominee Condoleezza Rice said at her Senate confirmation hearings that Chávez was ''a negative force in the region,'' he suggested she needed the type of companionship he could not satisfy. ''I will not make that sacrifice for my country,'' he said Sunday.

I'm not sure exactly what how he worded his "suggestion," though I've heard he wondered aloud whether he and Condolencia should get married. But it seems that the gist was that the Secretary-designate needs to get laid. Much as I loathe her and think her demonstrated incompetence would be reason to deny her confirmation even if she hadn't also lied to Congress and the public, this is just way out of bounds.

Any Spanish speakers who feel like trolling the Venezuelan press to find out what he said--I'm guessing the news account quoted above is euphemistic--let us know what you find out.