Chávez and the Congressman: Exchanging Tips on “Socialism of the 21st Century?”

Ray Walser /

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (R) hugs US congressman William Delahunt after meeting 18 January, 2008 at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.

According to an official communiqué issued by the Venezuelan government, Senator [sic] William Delahunt, a “friend of Venezuela,” according to Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro, found time this week to slip away from Congress and spend two and half hours in closed-door conversations in Caracas with Venezuela’s controversial President Hugo Chávez, the fiercely anti-American architect of “Socialism of the 21st century.”

Congressman [not Senator] Delahunt (D-MA) stands among the more vocal defenders of President Chávez in the House of Representatives. (more…)