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At least, Washington can agree to come together to defend one of its own. The politcos did just that in response to Hugo Chavez calling President Bush 'the devil' in a speech at the United Nations.

Commendably, Representative Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat no less, came forward fittingly irate to say, 'I want President Chavez to please understand that even though many people in the United States are critical of our president, that we resent the fact that he would come to the United States and criticize President Bush.'

Even the flamingly critical Reverend Jesse Jackson, while noting the US did attempt a coup of Mr. Chavez, said, '' my appeal to him is get beyond the anger'. I think that he should not be calling President Bush a 'devil.' President Bush should not be calling him 'evil' or calling him a 'tyrant.' We must cease these hostilities.''

Of course, the usual defenders signed in.

Representative John Boehner of Ohio called Huge Ego a ''power-hungry autocrat'' and his display before the UN ''an embarrassment and an insult to the American people.''

Chavez, meanwhile, employed the usual tactic of spurious internationals by trying to drive a wedge between the American people and their government, vowing that he's a friend of the American people and, to prove it, he announced he intends to more than double his supply of discounted heating oil to poor Americans.

While some politicians dissented from the oil for appeasement program, Rangel admitted it was effective and expects his district will get even more of the black diplomatic elixir next year. But, remaining on the side of President Bush, he went on to say, ''But you don't come into my country, you don't come into my congressional district, and you don't condemn my president.'

Good for you, Chuck.

Yet maybe the most telling thing about Chavez is, most Americans still can't get used to the fact that Venezuela is not a friendly nation. Many had even planned vacations to the sunny country, which is, of course, not all that much farther from the southernmost Antilles.

But we can see those tickets going up in smoke as readily has his oil income from the numerous US corporations that are seeking to power their processes with oil from countries that, while they may never call the President an angel, at least, have the sense to make their money and prudently refrain from pumping venom.