Hot on the heels of the surprise power-packed U.S. consumer boycott of Venezuelan oil, a huge refinery explosion of Venezuelan oil occurred this morning in Havana, Cuba, where considerable Venezuelan oil is being refined. Gigantic. Val has a photo of the inferno, the latest oil blow to Hugo Chavez. The Real Cuba has more photos and details. Along with this, this, this, and this, just this past week, Venezuelan oil production under a communist regime is profoundly strained – beset with accidents, safety violations, waste and destruction. Even if oil prices rise as a result of all this, if Hugo can’t pump oil, he won’t get any of the extra cash.

These growing signs of wear and tear on Citgo and other Venezuelan oil pumping operations are a sign of major stress, owing to Chavez’s failure to invest in his oil industry, based on his firm belief that oil profits are not there to be invested but to be spent on pork barrel handouts. These repeated oil industry losses – those links show a pattern – may significantly affect Chavez’s ability to advance his communist ‘revolution’ and destroy the freedom of peoples with his meddling throughout our hemisphere.

Both ideologically and physically, Hugo Chavez may be running out of gas.

UPDATE: Killcastro has more in an engaging piece titled ‘Flambe’ here.