Fundamentalists from right and left are both desperate because of the meeting where Barak Obama shook hands with Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.
I am happy. It is pathetic the way Chávez craves for attention and it is not a nice sight to see Obama going to shake hands with him, but most Venezuelan opposition people, people in the middle and non-extreme supporters of Chávez welcomed the move. Obama has done so far the right thing towards Chávez. The Venezuelan former military and coup monger would have wanted to steal the show anyway. Obama neutralized him and then focused on other matters. Chávez at the beginning seemed ravished, excited. Still, I am sure after that he felt fool and now he is wondering what to do. Even if Chávez craves for attention, he has not gained the respect he wanted. Most importantly: it has become much more difficult for him to attack a US president who is - so far - much more respected abroad than any of the other US presidents of the last 15 years or so. And I don't thinkObama will do the Carter or the Kissinger thing (and shaking hands is not THE thing).
I am happy. It is pathetic the way Chávez craves for attention and it is not a nice sight to see Obama going to shake hands with him, but most Venezuelan opposition people, people in the middle and non-extreme supporters of Chávez welcomed the move. Obama has done so far the right thing towards Chávez. The Venezuelan former military and coup monger would have wanted to steal the show anyway. Obama neutralized him and then focused on other matters. Chávez at the beginning seemed ravished, excited. Still, I am sure after that he felt fool and now he is wondering what to do. Even if Chávez craves for attention, he has not gained the respect he wanted. Most importantly: it has become much more difficult for him to attack a US president who is - so far - much more respected abroad than any of the other US presidents of the last 15 years or so. And I don't thinkObama will do the Carter or the Kissinger thing (and shaking hands is not THE thing).
Obama should maintain a cool attitude. We, as Venezuelans, though, should not expect much from the United States than respect. It is up to us to get rid of Hugo Chávez - by democratic means and not using the ways of Hugo Chávez in 1992 or Carmona in 2002.
It is going to be difficult and it will take probably a couple of years but we will do it. More importantly, though, we will have to have a good plan for after Chávez.