Chavez accused Washington of backing a coup against him in 2002

Chavez, who was democratically elected, has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him.

The United States is the top buyer of Venezuelan oil, but Chavez has made it clear he wants to decrease the country's dependence on the U.S. market by finding other buyers.

The Venezuelan president for the first time offered to help impoverished U.S. communities with their fuel needs as well, complaining that middle men have taken advantage of the American poor by pushing up the prices of gasoline and diesel unnecessarily high.

"We could also help some poor communities in the United States, directly selling them gasoline," Chavez said.

The United States was believed in the past to have been involved in the 1963 assassination of South Vietnam President Ngo Binh Diem and attempts to assassinate Castro.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166579,00.html

http://downingstreetmemo.com/

only if it helps the "poor communities". That way when Bush has to tell him NO due to his "stay the course" mentality, the public will start to ask why?

Doubt it'll amount to much though.

US Fingerprints on Venezuelan Coup
By Calvin Tucker
April 22, 2002
On Friday 12th of April, only hours after Venezuelan army generals had seized elected President Hugo Chavez and closed down parliament, the White House's official spokesman Ari Fleicher, declared triumphantly; "Now the situation will be one of tranquillity and democracy". But unknown to Fleicher, by the time the Bush regime's official seal of approval was to make it into print, the coup was already being defeated on the streets.
The US has now been forced to admit that a steady stream of business, military, and media leaders had been visiting their embassy in Caracas to discuss a possible coup. However, there is compelling evidence that US complicity went much further than giving a "nod and a wink" to the plotters.
For several months, the coup plotters had been making secret trips to the White House to meet with Elliot Abrams, the head of the National Security Council, and Otto Reich, the key policy maker for Latin America. Both men are veterans of Reagan's "dirty wars" of the Eighties and were linked to the death squads in Central America. Sources from the Organisation of American States confirmed to the Observer (21 April 2002) that, "the coup was discussed in some detail, right down to its timing and chances of success, which were deemed to be excellent."
White House visitors included coup leader Pedro Carmona, who was installed as head of the junta, and General Lucas Romero Rincon, head of the Venezuelan military, who met with Pentagon official Rogelio Pardo-Maurer, a former close associate of the US sponsored Contra forces in Nicaragua. Opposition legislators were also brought to Washington in recent months, including at least one delegation sponsored by the International Republican Institute, an integral part of the National Endowment for Democracy, long used by the CIA for covert operations abroad.

http://www.trinicenter.com/world/venez/calvin/tucker2.shtml

...of oil to poor areas of the US.

That's how cool and democratic we are.

Roberston articulates what has been Bushco policy for some time . . .

this is hard to imagine, there was very little from the U S media about it.

I remember talking about it at my office to the mostly right wingers who
insisted our governmene would not do such a thing. Then a CIA report was declassified(I think in mid 03) that said the CIA knew about the plot but did nothing to notify Chavez.Of course everything wasn't declassified and since the Bush administration welcomed and acknowledged the new president immediately and there was talk of us funding the new guy,odds are the CIA was very much involoved.

As a matter of fact, I seem to remember pictures of certain U S officials meeting with the opposition leader before the coup.It seems to me, some member of OPEC alerted Chavez about the coup and he was able to stop it very quickly.

Anyway,our fingerprints were all over the coup of 02, just the evil emperor trying to line up his stooges in all countries who have the devils excrement,oil,in their front yards.