President Hugo Chavez has left the building

By Pablo Fanque, South America Editor

Adiós Señor, Presidente

Hugo Chevez es el muerto.  He died after a long struggle with cancer.  After his cancer recurred, he went to Cuba last December for treatment.  

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was probably best known in the U.S. for his rages against President George W. Bush, whom he called a "liar," "coward," "murderer" and "donkey," and "the devil."  He was still extremely popular despite voting and free-speech crackdowns.

He also went after the Roman Catholic church, saying that they ignored the plight of the poor.  He said that Jesus Christ would have been a socialist and that priests "do not walk in ... the path of Christ."

Chavez especially liked making friends with world leaders who had an axe to grind with the U.S., including Fidel Castro, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Chavez was also a big fan of the late Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi 

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