In the latest The Oppenheimer Report he discusses recent statements given by the Bush administration on President Hugo Chavez. After the incident with Colombian rebels, Venezuelan negligence has apparently become an issue. My father was visitng Venezuela at the time this happened and apparently Granda, the man kidnapped, had been a Venezuelan citizen for a year. Not only that but he was staying at the Hilton Hotel in Caracas. While I understand the concerns that the United States may have with Venezuela harboring "terrorists", I believe this is hardly something they need to get into.
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Given the clear antipathy that the current U.S. Administration has for Hugo Chavez, I think even the slightest of provocations or hints at the existence of "terrorism" in Venezuela will result in undue attention and, possibly, even a justification for U.S. intervention in this country. Hugo Chavez is a demagogue, but there exists a vibrant opposition in Venezuela and Chavez, to date, has resisted a serious crackdown and has tolerated (and some would argue even defended) the opposition's right to express its positions. Chavez is a far cry either from Fidel Castro or Saddam Hussein; and we must always keep this in mind no matter how much Chavez gets on our nerves.
Also, as an aside, the U.S. would be wise to remember that it, too, has its internal, home-grown terrorists (Timothy McVeigh comes to mind) so it shouldn't cast stones or overreact in violation of another country's sovereignty with an incident that clearly may be isolated or that can effectively be handled by the national government of the country in question.
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