http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/01/international/i164729D78.DTL
Venezuela's Chavez Offers Hurricane Aid By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, September 1, 2005
(09-01) 16:47 PDT CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) --
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is offering planeloads of soldiers and aid workers to help American victims of Hurricane Katrina, while at the same time taking aim at the U.S. government for its handling of the crisis.
Some critics on Thursday said Chavez, a leading voice for the Latin American left, seemed to be using the disaster to try to make the Bush administration look bad.
While confusion reigned in New Orleans, Chavez said the looting was to be expected under such circumstances.
"As more information comes out now, a terrible truth is becoming evident: That government doesn't have evacuation plans," Chavez said Wednesday night during a speech.
He called Bush "the king of vacations" and noted he had been at his Texas ranch and when the storm hit and didn't provide leadership. "There were many innocent people who left in the direction of the hurricane. No one told them where they should go."
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And so on. Incidentally, while Chavez wasn't with Jackson in Louisiana, someone from Citgo was--I didn't catch who.
Thanks,
John A
see me fulminate at http://www.jzip.org/