Quick thoughts on Chavez

This is a subject I'd really like to expand upon in greater detail at some point, but here's just a quick thought for now. I've been a big fan of Hugo Chavez since I've heard about him. I really like the idea of a guy rising up from the lower classes to become president and decide to spread the wealth of his oil-rich country to those who have been left behind by the capitalist system. I like the idea of a world leader willing to speak truth about the way that the people of the developing world are abused by corporate globalization. I like the idea of a world leader (who isn't some crazed religious fundamentalist terrorist) who calls George W. Bush the devil. But I am extremely uneasy about the idea of a world leader circumventing the checks and balances of a democratic system, even if the intentions might be good. On the other hand, perhaps I don't have the story straight. I just don't know. We'll just have to see how this all unfolds.