CHAVEZ, THE NEW CASTRO – AT 8:25 P.M. ET:  One of the games played by Hugo Chavez's claque in the United States is that he was democratically elected.  Of course, so was Hitler, first time around. 

But the Chavez crowd insists that their guy and his policies reflect the will of the people.

Now, the "democracy" argument, like all the others in favor of Chavez, has gone out the window:

CARACAS, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Venezuela's parliament gave President Hugo Chavez decree powers for 18 months on Friday, outraging opposition parties that accused him of turning South America's biggest oil producer into a dictatorship.

The move consolidated the firebrand socialist leader's hold on power after nearly 12 years in office, and raised the prospect of a fresh wave of nationalizations as the former paratrooper seeks to entrench his self-styled "revolution."

Chavez had asked for the fast-track powers for one year, saying he needed them to deal with a national emergency caused by floods that drove nearly 140,000 people from their homes.

But the Assembly, which is dominated by loyalists from his Socialist Party, decided to extend them for a year and a half.

COMMENT:  Question for all the socialistas in the States who run down to Caracas regularly to kiss the ring of Hugo Chavez:  If the man is so popular, why does he have to rule by decree?

Of course, we've been asking that question of our local Castroites for half a century, without a coherent answer.

The totalitarian temptation is strong, and must always be resisted.  Sadly, the temptation often tempts self-professed "intellectuals," with tragic results.

December 18, 2010