Venezuela's Chavez Calls Obama "Ignorant"

(AP)  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday called President Obama "ignorant," saying he has a lot to learn about Latin America.

The socialist leader said he had been ready to name a new ambassador in Washington when Mr. Obama took office, but put that on hold after the new U.S. president accused him of "exporting terrorism" and being an obstacle to progress in the region.

"At least one could say, 'poor ignorant person,"' Chavez said on his weekly television and radio program, adding that Obama "should read a little bit so that he learns about ... the reality of Latin America."

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer declined to comment on Chavez's statements.

Chavez's relations with Washington grew increasingly strained under former President George W. Bush. The Venezuelan president expelled the U.S. ambassador and withdrew his envoy from Washington in September. Top diplomats have yet to be restored at either embassy.

Chavez and Obama plan to attend a summit of leaders from across the Americas next month in Trinidad and Tobago. There, Chavez said he will make a case for Cuba to be included in regional talks, saying "we can no longer continue to accept the impositions of the U.S. empire."

"We ask only for respect for Venezuela, nothing else," Chavez said.

Chavez said he showed some of the U.S. administration's critical remarks about him to U.S. Rep. William Delahunt when the Massachusetts Democrat visited Caracas last week.

"They keep pointing to me as the bad boy, as the one who attacks," Chavez said. "Who started the attack first? Obama."

Chavez recalled that shortly before Mr. Obama took office, the new president had accused Chavez of acting as a "destructive force" in the region.

"Obama said Chavez has been an obstacle to Latin America's development. What ignorance," Chavez said. "The real obstacle to the development of Latin America, Mr. Obama, has been the empire you now preside over."

The U.S. remains the top buyer of Venezuelan oil despite long-standing political tensions.

Chavez has at times expressed hope for a better relationship under Mr. Obama.

"They're very bad signals from the new government," Chavez said. "We'll keep waiting, but we aren't desperate."

[batchitcrazy]

"We ask only for respect for Venezuela, nothing else," Chavez said.
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..... and this respect will be earned by name calling.... Do we really care what this person has to say?

[mahalapril]

Even the small time Chavez and the Chinese ships are mocking Obama because of Obama's military and economic incompetence. These, following the earlier mockings by Al-Qaeda's Zawahri calling Obama a house negro, Russia Ignoring Obama's request for help in persuading Iran to stop uranim enrichment and Iran giving Obama lessons about his naivete when he said talking with terrorists and rogue nations without preconditions,instead Iran is giving Obama preconditions before starting negotiations . We are going back to the Jimmy Carter era and pre-9/11 mentality.

[Ceres6]

We need to remember that Chavez is famous for spilling words before actual thinking takes place in his primitive head. Most educated people in Latin America consider him an uneducated buffon, who will have to swallow in the near future many of the vulgar statements he has uttered in the last ten years.

[geminispyder-2009]

LOL @ Chavez....
What's he going to do? Stop selling us his oil?
The more he opens up his mouth, the louder pro-drill crowd will want to exploit the US oil shale reserves.

[smoknmirrors]

Hugo Chevez has said and done many stupid things in his time. Saying that Obama is "Ignorant of International Politics" isn't one of them.
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aziridine, did you have some ulterior motive for altering the quotation from Chavez? When you put something in quotation marks, it really should be verbatim, you know. Now one is inclined to wonder about more than just Obama's ignorance.

[aziridine]

Im not a great Chavez fan, but Obama has NOTHING on Chavez. Obama has run his once prosperous country into the ground. And when the masses down there finally wake up and find they are poorer and starving like never before, it will be TOO LATE AND THEY WILL BE TOO WEAK FROM STARVATION TO FIGHT HIM. All because of a lack of education of the masses.

Wow! it works BOTH way!!

[aziridine]

Who is negotiating with Mahmood on behalf of the US? Posted by gravyboat63
__________________________________________________________

Don't worry, Obama PROMISED that he'd TALK to Mahmoud AssholMiniBod. Obama will offer magic words and all will be miraculously solved! He's a Magic Man, He's a Magic Man!!!

[aziridine]

-why should Ameerican or its leader learn anything about a wanna-be leftist government?
Posted by tj217-2009
____________________________________________________________________________


Well, that's simple tj217......because America's "leader" IS a leftist!

[aziridine]

Hugo Chevez has said and done many stupid things in his time. Saying that Obama is "Ignorant of International Politics" isn't one of them. Obama has virtually no experience on the international scene (except for his meddling in Kenyan politics on behalf of fellow Luo tribesman Raili Odinga).

On this score, rare as it is....Chavez is correct.

[TPS2]

Who is negotiating with Mahmood on behalf of the US?
by gravyboat63

while attempting to negotiate