Viva Hugo Chavez!

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel guest columnist Henry Hamilton believes that the "U.S. could learn from Venezuelan voting."

According to Hamilton, Venezuela's elections should be envied by Americans.

He writes:

As an official international observer of the recent Venezuelan presidential election, I was impressed with the level of participatory democracy and integrity reflected in that country's voting process.

I was invited to serve as an international observer by the National Electoral Council, the official independent body charged with administering Venezuela's elections. I accepted the invitation with the sole focus of traveling to Venezuela, to do as I have volunteered to do during many elections in the United States - work to ensure that the express will of the voters is realized.

I observed no evidence of fraud or any illegality with the Dec. 3 election. The express will of the Venezuelan voters was realized. Venezuela's anti-voter fraud system, including paper and electronic trails, is a model that voting rights advocates in the U.S. would envy. That is not to say there were not some glitches, such as long lines, but nothing that would cause a reasonable person to conclude the results were not legitimate or equal access to the polls was not afforded everyone.

...Venezuela makes it easy for its citizens to express their will on election day. The presidential election is held on a Sunday. The government provides free subway transportation for some who otherwise may be unable to go to a voting center. Most felons are allowed to vote, and there are voting centers set up in penal institutions.

Wow. Venezuela is a utopian democracy.

Since the government offers free subway transportation, I suppose no one slashed the tires on vans meant to transport voters to the polls, like in Milwaukee.

Venezuelan felons have the privilege to vote, so felons voting illegally isn't an issue as it is in the U.S.

I wonder if any ID or proof of citizenship is required to cast a vote in Venezuela. If not, it's hard for Hamilton to claim that there was no election fraud.

I wonder if people list vacant lots as their places of residence, potentially enabling them to vote multiple times, like they do in the U.S.

How does Venezuela prevent people from voting twice or more in the same election, Donovan Riley-style?

I wonder.

According to Hamilton, Venezuela's elections are an enviable model. They are what we should aspire to in this country.

It was inspiring to see elected officials working to increase voter participation rather than conspiring for new avenues to disenfranchise voters, which unfortunately has often been the case in our country.

What is Hamilton talking about?

Which U.S. elected officials have conspired to disenfranchise voters?

Is he talking about the Dems' efforts to get the absentee ballots of military personnel tossed out in the 2000 election?

Smokes for votes?

Maybe that's it.

With the new U.S. Congress expressing a will to re-examine the polarized foreign policy of the current administration, there is a historic opportunity to create a foreign policy that is not at odds with the sweeping changes in Latin America, nor our own business relations with Venezuela, which remains our second-largest trading partner in the hemisphere.

Some in the U.S. may not like Chavez; however, Venezuelans have soundly and democratically re-elected him as their leader.

The White House should take notice. It's time to respect the democratic will of Venezuela's voters and normalize the bilateral relations between our two governments.

Now it makes sense.

Hamilton is a fan of Chavez.

No wonder he's touting the superiority of Venezuela's elections, with Chavez beating his opponent Manuel Rosales by nearly a 23 percentage point advantage. Of course, he'd cheerlead for the legitimacy of that country's electoral process.

Hamilton is excited by the "sweeping changes" being seen in Latin America, but it should be noted that not all are friendly to the U.S.

Why would the White House normalize relations with a nutjob like Chavez?

Does Hamilton have short term memory issues?

Chavez has been relentlessly ripping President Bush.

Some of his past statements include:

--"You are a donkey, Mr. Bush. You're an alcoholic Mr. Danger, or rather, you're a drunkard."

--"The U.S. empire is defeated in Iraq, they just don't want to admit it. Mr. Donkey thought they were going to be received as heroes."

--"The imperialist, genocidal, fascist attitude of the U.S. president has no limits. I think Hitler would be like a suckling baby next to George W. Bush."

--"If you are going to compare me to the worst criminal in humanity - the president of the US; He is an assassin. He is a criminal responsible for genocide, completely immoral.

"I believe that he should be put in jail. He has invaded a country. Are we bombing cities?"

--"The North American empire is becoming a paper tiger."

--"If it's true that the empire is taking sanctions against us, firstly it's a confirmation of imperial abuse, of imperial desperation (and) secondly we will take no notice. It is an impotent empire."

--"Israel often criticizes Hitler ... but they have done the same thing [in Lebanon], perhaps even worse. What has happened was a genocide. They must be brought in front of an international tribunal."

And of course, who can forget the anti-Bush, anti-American Chavez rant at the UN this past September?

He called President Bush "the devil."

He called Americans "imperialists."

He complained about Bush leaving "the smell of sulfur" behind after addressing the UN General Assembly.

He said Bush's behavior is like that found in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. He even gave it a title -- The Devil's Recipe.

Is Hamilton so clueless that he doesn't see a problem with Chavez?

Rather than respecting the democratic will of the Venezuelan people, I think we should be wary of their judgment.

What is Hamilton really saying?

I think he's saying that the American people should respect Chavez and his government more than they respect Bush and his administration.

What a good Leftist!

If only America could be more like Venezuela.

Is that what the new Congress has in mind for the country?