Caracas Chronicles

Venezuela’s official condolences to the DPRK on the loss of their capital-L Leader were a bit underwhelming.

Sure, Chávez’s expression of “full confidence” that the tinpottiest of all the tinpot dictatorships will lead its people to prosperity is galling in its own way. But what we didn’t get is what I’ve been expecting for quite some time: for Chávez to extend the Full Gaddafi hero-worship treatment to the Kim dynasty.

My guess is that Chávez knows he can’t expect any adulatory backsheesh from the Kims, whose whole governing philosophy is centered on the aggressive disregard for the sovereignty and dignity of other nations, and stick doggedly to a policy of greedily accepting extravagant praise for its leader, but never reciprocating it.

Chávez will, of course, let lots of things slide…but the failure to suck up to him is not one of them.