Perhaps its an overstatement to say that Bush and his immediate team would countenance the violent demise of Hugo Chvez (although in April 2002 they sanctioned an attempted coup against the Venezuelan leader which could easily have ended with his death.) For many months now, the Venezuelan president has claimed that the White House has targeted him for assassination. In March, the State Department retorted that Chvezs spate of accusations regarding a CIA plot to assassinate him were wild. However, serious doubts emerged over the weight of the administrations latest display of supposed indifference to Chvezs fate when Felix Rodriguez, a former CIA operative in Central America and influential Bush-backer in South Florida, claimed in a Miami TV interview that regarding Venezuela, the administration has contingency plans. ... could be economic measures and even at some point military measures.
Quotes about chvez (2 Quotes)
The truth of the matter is that the Bush Administration is unhappy that the people of Venezuela democratically elected a president who does not pledge full allegiance to American interests, ... Therefore they cannot resist attacking President Hugo Chvez every chance they get and blaming him for every development in the region that they dislike.