Obama's Pal Now a Dictator

About two weeks ago, Obozo told the press corps that he'd like to divert AF One to Venezuela to spend some quality time with his pal Chavez.

The 'birds of a feather' thing came to mind.

And we now know something about the feathers of Chavez.

Venezuela's parliament voted to give President Hugo Chavez decree powers for 18 months on Friday, outraging opposition parties that accused him of turning South America's biggest oil producer into a dictatorship.

The firebrand leader had asked for the special fast-track powers for one year, saying he needed them to deal with a national emergency caused by floods that have killed about 40 people and driven nearly 140,000 more from their homes.

But the Assembly, which is dominated by loyalists from his Socialist Party, decided to extend them for a year and a half.

FWIW, Hillary widened the gulf between herself and Obozo; the State Department condemned the Venezuelan move.

The "Enabling Law," which means the president can issue decrees across a wide range of areas including housing, land, finances and security, has been denounced as autocratic by his political rivals as well as by the U.S. State Department.

That US election came just in time.