This type of tactic does not seem out of place for an administration that has claimed the existence of “weapons of mass destruction" in countries that they wanted to invade.

This administration will continue to villainize Hugo Chavez because it needs a “face” to focus our “War on Drugs” on.

The ONDCP and the “Drug Czar” continue their demagoguery without supporting data (or even manufactured data) to push their agenda. This is a government agency that needs to be abolished.

If that happened the world would be a better place, for sure. Loser dopers could celebrate by going to Woodstock and chewing coca in solidarity with Chavez and the endangered Berkeley trees.

like maybe explain why you can use killer alcohol but other folks can't use weed? or tell me how many people were killed last year by folks under the influence of alcohol and by folks under the influence of marijuana. or tell me which of the two substances is notorious for its use by sexual perverts preying on young children. put up or shut up.

When you metaphorically 'have one podium on the national stage' accessing the mainstream (a.k.a. majority of voters), why burden yourself with supporting facts?

Until we add our podium to that stage to reach that same mainstream audience, expect more of the same.

Whether the United States is friendly with the respective leadership or not, every cocaine-producing country in South America lacks big seizures, big arrests of logistical coordinators and corrupt officials, while invariably hosting large numbers of smuggler controlled airports and seaports. This is what happens when idiot bureaucrats try to prohibit a commodity such as cocaine, opium or marijuana.

The fact that Venezuela is the (oil) country in question may be relevant to oil traders and oily politicians, but not to cocaine smugglers from Colombia passing through Venezuelan jungles and mountain passes. Chavez is relevant to the Bush White House because Chavez made Bush look like the total fool he is by refusing to cooperate on oil profits and by trumping Bush’s attempt to remove Chavez from office through a botched coup attempt.

Payback time from King George has been ongoing, so it’s no surprise that a Bush appointed zero such as John P. Walters would demonstrate loyalty to his master by biting at Chavez’s heels.

Giordano

And they're not scared to use them. It was hard to get marijuana there. Everyone is scared of getting busted. I found it extremely oppressive when I was there for 3 months. In fact, the drug climate made me never want to return. I felt like Chimpy and Chavez really should be buddies. There were a bunch of Dutch tourists in jail for single joints when I was there. Lots of coke addicts though, because it's easier to get because it's easier to transport and conceal I guess...it's really sad.

I don't know much about the seaports but at the airports every single bag is carefully picked apart and searched, unlike the random ones I've experienced elsewhere. Also cops will pick up people off the streets and force them to be witnesses when they bust someone and do cavity searches on site, even in the street. Cops and national guard are everywhere with machine guns. I went because I was a big supporter of the revolution, but like I said, I think Chimpy would really admire Chavez if he saw the police in action there. Instead of the guard though, we'd have Blackwater patrolling the streets (and beaches! Christ, is that a buzz kill.)

Chavez thinks the DEA in his country are really CIA types setting the stage to oust him,...You think he's onto something??? ...Sometimes I like Chavez other times I don't,I do know he likes his people he likes us as well ,he hates Bush and his cronies but then so do I ,and I'm certainly not alone,I think Chavez means well for his country,he's sure as hell not going to let Bushco.get away w/their shit,thats for certain,thats why we hear so many lies from our propaganda driven news media,anymore when those people [esp. FAUX news ] begin to talk I shut down,the others are no better,Kieth Obermann so far is a savings grace,but that could change, as for there drug laws I'm ignorant there! could change one never knows,except the cocoa leaf,which I know is chewed in the high country to make breathing easier more proof of natural cures,while here it would be forbidden,We have BigPharma!!!!.....assholes............donl

It is strange to see that it is possible for officials to accuse without evidence, when it is prohibited for us to do the same.
WMD, iraqi links with al qaeda, and so many other accusations were given without a single evidence (or worst, with forged evidence!) and still people are believing in what those people say...
Part of the problem come from the fact that there is only one side able to speak, and nobody in front of them to reply or ask for evidence.
We have the same trouble down here in France: officials are coming at the TV to say this or that, completely false declarations, and there is nobody in front of them to ask for explanation, or just to say: "upon which evidence do you base your declaration?'"
Journalists are not doing their job anymore: journalism was inquiry, and refusal to nod to simple declarations without proof, and verification. Now, they swallow the PR, they take for granted what communication professionnal are saying.

I remember the daughter of the Kuwait ambassador saying at the UN how iraqis thrown babies from incubators back in 1990. It was staged, everything was fake or false, and journalists said nothing, didn't verify nor inquired.

Embedded journalists are another negation of their work, I'll cite a quote I found in an account of the battle of Flandres by the british army back in 1940. The narrator speak of journalists who came to cover the battle:
" in Germany, it may be interesting but not surprising to note, they do these things differently. war correspondents, cameramen, broadcasters, all are enlisted in the army (...) They go into action carrying the tools of their trade (...)
It is a convenient and businesslike method of reporting a war, but unfortunately impracticable in countries where the press is free (...)"

This statement was in "the army at war", the battle of Flandres, published in 1940 in England, under censorship...

Apparently the drug czar has not been paying attention to the numerous DHS/CIA connected planes that have been caught shuttling large loads of cocaine. Time after time after time these planes have bben directly tied to CIA front companies. The whole 'war on drugs' is a front to keep the prices up while the CIA makes off the book tens of billions to finance off the book black ops. Just like Afghanistan was 'rescued' from AL CIADUH to restore its pre eminent postion in the world of heroin manufacture, again vetted and assisted by the CIA for more tens of Billions. This is but a small part of the reason that the US is having trouble with the BASEL 2 agrrements- how can they wash all this 'off the books' money?