2008 Woodie Awards
A breath of fresh air from some leaders
Colleen Flynn '07
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Commentary
My internship requires me to do a lot of research on international news. Every week I pore over Web sites to keep me up-to-date on global happenings. It is the equivalent of eight hours of term paper research, and I hate term papers. In fact, I hate the news. I generally maintain a level of moderate global awareness, unless I have a debate scheduled with my Cowl Commentary nemesis/friend, Michael Rubin '08, and have to brush up on my liberal agenda. It takes a lot to keep me interested in the news.
Fortunately, recent political events have managed to capture my interest. I stumbled across Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and if you do not know him by now, you will. Currently, Chavez is one of the most controversial political leaders in the world. He has made headlines before for his leftist leadership, his attempts to take over Venezuela's massive oil industry, his amity with Fidel Castro and leaders in Iraq and Columbia, and his famously controversial statements.
Chavez has reached beyond Venezuela to attack George W. Bush on more than one occasion,most recently at the last U.N. General Assembly in New York. Chavez equated Bush with "the devil" and stated that Bush acted as if he were "the owner of the world." He went on to suggest that the United States' "current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world" would make an excellent Alfred Hitchcock movie, entitled "The Devil's Recipe." He ridiculed the American version of democracy as a "democracy of bombs" and then labeled the current U.N. "worthless" and called for its reform.
Chavez is a loose cannon whose outrageousness makes him riveting to watch. He knows a great deal about global politics and knows precisely how to manipulate an audience. With closing remarks like "I have a meeting with the axis of evil . . . so I have to go," after a press conference discussing Iran and Venezuela's interest in nuclear technology, Chavez clearly knows how to grab attention. Despite the absurdity of his comments and his anti-Bush sentiment, I cannot help but feel slightly refreshed at Chavez's candor. He tells it like it is, or at least how he interprets it. He may not be the most honest person in terms of his actions, but the honesty of his opinions is something completely new. While most may label him a crackpot or a blowhard, his attempt to inject a bit of frankness into his speeches can be appreciated.
Fortunately, recent political events have managed to capture my interest. I stumbled across Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and if you do not know him by now, you will. Currently, Chavez is one of the most controversial political leaders in the world. He has made headlines before for his leftist leadership, his attempts to take over Venezuela's massive oil industry, his amity with Fidel Castro and leaders in Iraq and Columbia, and his famously controversial statements.
Chavez has reached beyond Venezuela to attack George W. Bush on more than one occasion,most recently at the last U.N. General Assembly in New York. Chavez equated Bush with "the devil" and stated that Bush acted as if he were "the owner of the world." He went on to suggest that the United States' "current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world" would make an excellent Alfred Hitchcock movie, entitled "The Devil's Recipe." He ridiculed the American version of democracy as a "democracy of bombs" and then labeled the current U.N. "worthless" and called for its reform.
Chavez is a loose cannon whose outrageousness makes him riveting to watch. He knows a great deal about global politics and knows precisely how to manipulate an audience. With closing remarks like "I have a meeting with the axis of evil . . . so I have to go," after a press conference discussing Iran and Venezuela's interest in nuclear technology, Chavez clearly knows how to grab attention. Despite the absurdity of his comments and his anti-Bush sentiment, I cannot help but feel slightly refreshed at Chavez's candor. He tells it like it is, or at least how he interprets it. He may not be the most honest person in terms of his actions, but the honesty of his opinions is something completely new. While most may label him a crackpot or a blowhard, his attempt to inject a bit of frankness into his speeches can be appreciated.