CHAVEZ & DRUGS: ADDICTED TO POWER

By hindering U.S. efforts to curb the flow of cocaine and heroin
through Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez reveals a mind-warping
addiction that unhinges all reason.

Indeed, no narcotic is as addictive, or as destructive, as the sense
of power in a misguided mind.

Little Castro has ordered his leftist regime to stop cooperating with
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, accusing it of espionage.
Under the influence of corrupting power, reason is the first thing that rots.

Chavez's own National Guard is involved in drug trafficking,
authorities say. Guardsmen have stolen thousands of dollars in
U.S.-donated surveillance equipment.

Caracas fails to crack down on coca and poppy fields near its border
with Colombia. And Chavez has replaced Venezuela's top drug cops with
his own stooges.

Meanwhile, cocaine and heroin pass through Venezuela en route to the
United States and Europe. Even if Chavez doesn't have a direct hand
in this -- and that remains to be seen -- perhaps his government is
benefiting in other ways.

The U.S. has since removed Venezuela from its allies in the war on
drugs but will continue to supply aid to pro-democracy groups that
oppose Chavez. That still leaves open the Venezuelan drug connection.

Illegal drug trafficking is a worldwide anathema. As such, Chavez
must show that Venezuela is part of the solution -- not part of the problem.