Love him or hate him — and plenty of people in Venezuela and around the world will felt one of the two emotions —
firebrand President Hugo Chavez’s brand of leadership will be hard to replace.
Adored or reviled for his self-styled populist revolution, Chavez held sway over Venezuela through a cult of personality,
government reforms that championed the downtrodden, and an endless stream of rhetoric denouncing capitalism,
imperialism and the United States.
The "Chavistas" praised El Comandante for reducing extreme poverty and expanding access to health care and education.
To many he was a charming populist who sang and danced on his weekly television show and gave the impoverished a voice
and tried to make the life of poor people in Venezuela better.
On the international stage, he will be remembered as someone who generated over 14 years an international presence and
impact way beyond his country's size or wealth and beyond his own talent and personal charisma.
Don't let US propaganda swayed public opinion!
Chavez, a self-declared socialist, often criticized the United States on its history of intervention in the Americas and
Washington's stance on countries such as Iran, regime change and ruthless grabbing of global resources.
In a 2006 address at the U.N. General Assembly, Chavez called President George W. Bush "the devil."
And he was RIGHT!
Americans woke up to their worst nightmare, two wars, numerous skirmishes, 9/11 (golfing and goofing on the job),
Hurricane Katrina, a country on the brink of bankruptcy and a Black and White House!
Adiau, El Commandante!
- Tributes from NBC, DailyMail, CNN