The controversial president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, was confronted by a Fox News reporter after his speech to the United Nations last week.
Speaking through a translator Chavez called the people from Fox News stupid, but not the reporter talking to him specifically. Although he did say the reporter’s mind had “many confusions.”
At a previous speech at the U.N. during the Bush administration, Chavez made comments about the United Nations chamber smelling like sulfur. In 2006 after Bush addressed the world body during its annual meeting Chavez said :
“The devil came here yesterday. And it smells of sulfur still today.” (2006)
This year now that George W. Bush is no longer president of the United States Chavez says:
“It doesn’t smell of sulfur. It’s gone. No, it smells of something else. It smells of hope.” (2009)
Chavez also offered these comments on President Barack Obama:
“He is still an enigma to me. There are two Obamas so far. One Obama promotes peace. The other Obama promotes new military bases in Colombia. Let’s see which one wins. I hope it will be the Obama who says the U.S. cannot impose anything on any country. Meanwhile, the Pentagon supports coup leaders in Honduras.”
In his confrontation with the Fox News reporter Chavez had this to say:
“How the Americans are killing people in Iraq? Have you seen those? Have you seen this? [Inaudible] … Your network hides everything and your president, Bush, [you] supported Bush and you’re criticizing Obama because he’s Black. So, that’s why your mind is filled with poison.”
You can watch the video below.
Hugo Chavez has a very close relationship with former Cuban head of state Fidel Castro. Chavez and several other heads of state in Latin America are urging the United States to lift the long standing embargo on Cuba. In New York Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva went as far as to call the embargo an “obsolete measure.”
The U.S. embargo of Cuba has been going on for 48 and was an inportant part of the agenda during the 64th session of the General Assembly that ends Monday. This embargo is the longest embargo in modern history.
