Mexico and Venezuela Cut Back Oil Deliveries to US

Bush can't deliver. He was rebuffed, again, buy Saudi Arabia who refused to expand their oil production at Bush's request. Saudi Arabia did, however, spill out a little embarasing information. According to the AP:

Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi said the kingdom decided on May 10 to increase production by 300,000 barrels a day to help meet U.S. needs after Venezuela and Mexico cut back deliveries.

Did I hear that right? Maybe one has to read the shipping news to know that Mexico and Venezuela cut back deliveries to the US. How vulnerable is the US to deeper cut backs?

I'm reminded of Bear Stearns. We found out that they had a foul reputation among other Wall Street firms for their dirty tactics. The word is that Bear Stearns was effectively sacrificed by the other titans of finance in a drastic measure to stabilize the financial sector.

One has to wonder whether a similar analogy is taking form on a global scale, with the US, and its foul reputation abroad, playing the role of Bear Stearns. It's not too hard to imagine the other nations isolating themselves from a US economic implosion for their own survival.

Sources:

Associate Press, Bush fails to win Saudi help on gas prices, TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent

Primary Threat Posed by Hugo Chavez

Has anyone noticed the propaganda campaign to undermine Venezuela's Hugo Chavez? US complicity in the 2002 coup against Chavez? What would drive the US to such ends, other than the fact that Venezuela is a contender as the top oil-bearing land mass.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently provided us the answer.

I think that the principal threat represented by Hugo Chavez is to the freedom and economic prosperity of the people of Venezuela. I think that he has been very generous in offering the resources to people around the world, when perhaps those resources could be better used to alleviate some of the economic problems facing the people of Venezuela. I think that's the principal concern.

Generosity is the principal concern. Tell me we're not living in Orwellian times.

Sources:

DemocracyNow, Headlines, October, 3, 2007.