CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened to stop selling oil to the United States if Washington doesn't stop "intervening in Venezuela's domestic affairs."

"In (President) Bush's case, he should cease the madness of directly intervening Venezuela's internal affairs. That would spark a conflict here, and it would be absurd to continue selling oil to them," Chavez told the Italian newspaper Liberazione in comments published Sunday by Venezuela's state news agency, Venpres.

Chavez did not specify what he meant by "directly intervening." In the past, he has accused the United States of being behind a failed April 2002 coup against him and of sponsoring current efforts to overthrow his leftist government.

Washington repeatedly denies the claims.

Chavez previously threatened to stop selling oil to the United States only if it invaded or blockaded Venezuela.

Venezuela, the world's fifth biggest oil exporter, provides about 15 percent of U.S. oil imports, and the United States is the biggest importer of Venezuelan oil. Relations are strained in part over Chavez's close ties with Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Indeed!

...Food for thought, not only for the potential impact on the US mainland, but also in a much smaller way for the Virgin Islands.

Is Chavez actually stupid or zealous enough to follow through on this Castro inspired threat?

How much does Chavez miscalculate in attempting to hold the Virgin Island and U.S. mainland economy hostage with this implicit threat aimed at the Bush presidency?

Chavez is clearly attempting this latest poor-handed bluff in order to stop America from placing international pressure to block the jackbooted Chavista march toward socialist tyranny.

I would venture to guess that much of that Venezuelan oil destined for the American market is refined at the HOVENSA refinery here in St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands (495,000 barrels-per-day) which depends on the refinery as its economic lifesblood.

HOVENSA LLC is a joint venture between American-owned Amerada Hess and PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela - the Venezuelan State oil company).

The St. Croix refinery's output happens to represent a significant portion of Venezuela's economic lifesblood as well...which is why Chavez is foolish to threaten cutting his country's own Yanqui dollar fueled throat.

All in all, this latest $ocialist bluster appears to be a sign of his increasingly desperate political position within Venezuela.