The friends of Hugo Chavez

NY Times:

President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela has been caught. Despite his protestations of innocence, Interpol has corroborated the authenticity of thousands of computer files captured during a Colombian Army raid on a FARC rebel camp in Venezuela. Only a small share of this trove has been released, but it leaves little doubt that Venezuela has been aiding the guerrillas’ effort to overthrow Colombia’s democratically elected government.

The Colombian government released documents from the computers that suggest Venezuelan intelligence officials tried to secure weapons for the FARC and that Mr. Chávez’s government offered the rebels oil and a $250 million loan. Information in the files has already led to the seizure of FARC funds in Costa Rica.

Colombia can now take the issue to the Organization of American States, the United Nations Security Council or the International Court of Justice. But it might need further corroborating evidence, as Interpol only certified that the Colombian government did not tamper with the files but said nothing about the veracity of their content.

Mr. Chávez has a more important choice to make: he can sink once and for all into the role of regional pariah, to be contained or isolated in the name of regional stability, or he can commit to becoming a responsible neighbor. All of his neighbors, and all Venezuelans, should urge him to choose the latter course.

...

I think he has found his role as regional pariah. He will probably replace Castro in that role and he has the money to buy friends in Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Whether they can stay bought and stay in power may be another question. Bolivia's rule is already facing a recall vote and a split by one state. Argentina has been trying to screw its farmers with huge export taxes after the government was caught getting a huge bribe from Chavez. Ecuador has been giving sanctuary to the narco terrorist Chavez has been supporting.

Chavez will also continue to screwup Venezuela by attempting to impose the communist command economy model that has failed everywhere it has been tried. but, hey, he is a control freak and likes to give orders whether they make any sense or not. Already he has done the communist thing by building a milk processing plant in an area with too few cows to support it.