Bush told to plan for Chávez oil shock

[Postman]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14001903/

I'm just wondering.

What would the US response be to a country that actively engaged in trying to overthrow its leadership?

Am I missing something here?

[whistle]

1. Military blockade, too bad Pappy Bush's new aircraft carrier

...isn't ready to be put into service for another year.

[Fridays Child]

2. Would this country stand for military action in Venezuela...

...that is, if we had a choice?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Erect bogeyman, wave flag, send in the troops.

Never fails. Remember the threat posed by mighty Grenada and the public response to the invasion of it?

[Sherman A1]

4. Wasn't that

Operation Royal Screw Up?

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. We are never given a choice, at least not since the not elected Pinhead**

has been in "charge" that is.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. Chavez has the right to decide who buys Venezuela's oil

I wouldn't sell to the murderous chimp either.

[MichiganVote]

7. Ok...so, awhile ago he was giving oil to areas hard hit by poverty

and now this...sure, why not...he's a world leader...I expect this sort of thing from all of them these days.

[blonndee]

8. Wait, what?

Overthrowing US leadership? The threat has to do with Chavez cutting off oil to US if Washington continues to plot Chavez' overthrow.

I think Mr. Chavez needs to be very careful.

[Mika]

9. More like: Lugar requests plan for overthrow of Ven gov by force.

From the lead article..

In a letter sent to Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, last Friday, a copy of which has been obtained by the Financial Times, Mr Lugar warned the US that it needed to "abandon" reliance on a "passive approach" to energy diplomacy.

[cliss]

10. Here's the situation as I see it -

Venezuelan oil is incredibly important to the US. It's our 5th largest import source of oil. Now, it's true that we purchase more from the Middle East and other countries (Canada + Mexico + Ivory Coast), but Hugo Chavez's oil supply is in some ways the most important because it's right in our back yard.

It's close. It's got a high sulfur content so it needs more refining, but without Venezuelan oil, our gas prices would go up through the roof.

The US does NOT want that to happen.

What does Hugo think? I think Chavez would like to sell his oil to other countries, like India or China. He has said so. But look at it from his point of view.

If he were to pull the rug out from under us & take his business elsewhere, what would happen? Venezuela would probably get attacked by the US. Does he want to risk it? Plus, he's making tons of money off of the US.....he's laughing all the way to the bank.

So he knows he has the power to break the system.

But will he do it? I wonder......

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. Holy shit!

Mr Lugar's warning follows the release last month of an investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that the US was ill-prepared for an oil embargo by Venezuela, the world's fifth largest ex­porter. President Hugo Chávez, whose government has been emboldened by a torrent of oil revenues, has several times warned that he would "cut off" oil supplies to the US if Washington persisted in allegedly plotting his overthrow.

"Venezuela's leverage over global oil prices and its direct supply lines and refining capacity in the US give Venezuela undue ability to impact US security and our economy," Mr Lugar wrote in his letter to Ms Rice.

The GAO study, commissioned by Mr Lugar, a Republican, estimated that a Venezuelan oil boycott would raise oil prices by $11 (€9, £6) per barrel over a six-month period and reduce US economic output by $23bn.

[lectrobyte]

12. We've been trying to overthrow Chavez. He's fighting back the

only way he can.