Not shipments of aid to flood-ravaged Venezuela, but US military aircraft spare-parts shipments. He doesn’t even need military airplanes but here is something that sticks in his craw. This is the same Venezuelan dictator who is famous for turning down a US aircraft carrier full of engineers who were ready to rebuild roads washed away by Venezuela’s 1999 floods and mudslides. He hasn’t asked for any US aid in this current flooding event either, but delay him his spare parts for aircraft with which to menace Colombia and see how he complains! The funny part is, he says Lula of Brasil will be happy to sell him aircraft with no preconditions – oh really? Lula’s got ambitions, too, Chavez.

I have no doubt the US is delaying Chavez his spare parts. They do that kind of thing.