Arming Venezuela

Not surprisingly, Crazy Man Chavez has been building up his military, and it's got some of his neighbors in a bit of a panic.

In this AP story, Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Bantz J. Craddock respond to Chavez's claims that the U.S. is planning to invade Venezuela:

"I don't know of anyone threatening Venezuela, anyone in this hemisphere," said Rumsfeld, who is attending a meeting here of Western hemisphere military leaders — many of them concerned about the weapons, jets and helicopters Chavez is buying...

U.S. Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, chief of U.S. Southern Command, called the accusation "mindless" and "way over the top." But he also agreed that Venezuela's recent deal to buy roughly $3 billion worth of arms from Russia — including rifles, jet fighters and helicopters — is triggering "more concern from more countries."

Meanwhile, Craddock and other officials said Monday that they don't see a credible threat in Venezuela's call for the creation of an anti-U.S. military coalition with other leftist countries in the region. Craddock said Brazil's defense minister told the gathering he doesn't see a need for a regional military organization.

Here's a good exerpt:

U.S. officials have long considered Chavez a destabilizing force. And they have suggested that Venezuela would make the Security Council unworkable if the nation were to win its bid against U.S.-backed Guatemala for a rotating council seat.

As if it is workable now. I think untenable would be a better word.