Vzla: Chavez blows his nice guy eccentric demagogue image

Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chávez made a major tactical mistake last week, which may prove more damaging to him than having recently called President Bush an ''illegitimate president:'' he allowed himself to be seen by the world as a violator of human rights.
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...[L]ast week ... Chávez's National Guard engaged in torture, beatings and possibly several killings in clashes with tens of thousands of oppositionists who were protesting the government's refusal to recognize a key portion of the 3.4 million signatures on petitions to recall him.

Amnesty International condemned ''excessive use of force'' in the government's crackdown. At least nine people were killed and more than 50 were injured by Chávez's security forces in the clashes, according to Human Rights Watch.

Chávez has long gotten away with dubious interpretations of the laws, but it's harder for him to hide pictures of blood-drenched oppositionists, or testimonies such as were detailed in The Herald's report of cellist Carlos Izcaray's 20-hour beatings, mock executions and torture with electric-shock sticks.

Now, will Caricom agree that something is rotten in Venezuela? Will the Caribbean press finally view Chavez as the thug he is?