In the truth is stranger than fiction category.
[UPDATED]
First we had the words of Chavez that he was the incarnation of the people, like, you know, the state as in "L'état, c'est moi" of that famous Sun King. You can watch the video and wait for the segment 1:00 to 1:40.
Now, today, in a show of unspeakable arrogance he said that the day Bolivar was thrown out of Caracas, nothing happened, but that the day he was thrown out "el pueblo" went up in flames [meaning insurrection to retrieve him].
“El día que echaron a Bolívar de Caracas no pasó nada, pero el día que me echaron a mí, ardió el pueblo”
I am going to spare you a lengthy historical discussion on how wrong Chavez is, from Bolivar to April 11. But you know, if you repeat a lie often enough a few will start believing it.......
This will be quite a memorable Alo Presidente where in addition of surpassing Bolivar, Chavez expropriated private buildings of the historical Plaza Bolivar implying that today's Temple Merchants had no right there. He did not explain anything at first, a plain "expropiese!" was enough for his imperial majesty. Of course, knowing his rank, Caracas mayor Rodriguez said later that all would be taken care by Tuesday, making one wonder about the spontaneity of the expropiese. That is right, without a global project, without a cost analysis, without even contemplating the time for the locals to move, all was decided according to El Supremo.
To make the day further memorable he asked the sitting Nazional Assembly to vote a law so that in next legislature representatives that switch sides would be sanctioned. We assume for those that go away from chavismo as I doubt anyone coming to chavismo in a hung parliament would be sanctioned. Or am I discovering purity in Chavez? Or is Chavez subconscious betraying him in the knowledge that he will not get the 2/3 majority he needs if he is to retain full control of the judicial power?
And to make sure we all got the point, he said that in the country there is a terrible class struggle, as in Marx [who by his own admission he has yet to read]. Thus no reconciliation is possible. Is Ramiro already hard at work on these items, by the way?
Is there any doubt left about the mental state of Hugo the First?
In truth, if you ask me, this is all well prepared as Chavez must be above anything in Venezuelan history. Rewriting will not do, he has to be above all.
---------------
Update: the video with the "expropiese". Enjoy the executive nature of Chavez, who yet is unable to bring us electricity, water, security, peace, reliable food supplies, reliable medicine, reliable whatever... You gotta love such extraordinary contradictions between style and results. In sort, a true banana republic moment. (hat tip PMB)