This article epitomizes the simplistic thinking of the media in the US. Ann, you should go there, meet with Chavez, and then write your precious little article for your moronic followers...the US is certainly not a pillar of virtue: Iraq war, homelessness, 3 trillion dollars deficit, etc...a nation of people addicted to reality TV, cell phones & video games.

Hey I like video games, please don't pick on the gamers of this great nation. No videogamer ever killed anyone other than fellow students and mean teachers.

Also I think Anne is channeling Christopher Hitchens here - anti-intellectual, but in an elitist-hates-self kind of way. I think Applebaum, like Hitchens, must have had a very interesting family life.

As for your list of what is wrong with America, let's not forget the one million dead Iraqis. History will label this a genocide, especially as it was in every sense of the word avoidable. Bush/Cheney will be called a mass murderer.

You and I? We failed to raise our voices in protest, and so as citizens of a democracy we are directly responsible for the deaths of those people. We will each have 1/300th of a dead Iraqi to our credit.

- MW

so almady when was the last time that you were in Venezuala? Where if you own a house and you have too many empty rooms the government will help you find room mates (poor people with no place to live). Yeah even though you went to school and worked all your life for what you had, it really belongs to the people.

I am all for helping poor people but, taking from other people just because they have more doesn't sound like the answer to me. Just because you have something doesn't automatically mean that you got it illegally or immorally, or unethically.

Isn't it funny that the leaders of revolutions for the people, live in beautiful houses with plenty of food, lack for nothing, and travel the world. But, you know they are in power for the people.

At least in our country, if you don't like the president, you know he can only be in power for 8 years.

President Chavez is changing it so that he can be in power forever, you know because after all he knows what is best for his people and doesn't want to deprive them of his superior leadership skills even if he has to change their constituion to do it.

So for all of you people that are slamming anyone who has anything bad to say about Hugo Chavez you really should find out more information before you give your opinion.

Mister Write: Closet Mrs. Wrong coming out.

Sad, why not just label her a running dog lackey of the imperialist warmongers? Not original, granted but it IS what you meant.