There is certainly one good thing about demagogues, they are consistent and stay on message. One never has to wonder what they are going to say next. Perhaps no one is more grateful for this than the media, they can write a story, file it on their computer and just wait for the next diatribe, then change the dates and maybe the location and release the story. No two demagogues are more consistent than Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Both leaders are fanatical tyrants who rule under the guise of democracy and both are demagogues who see America as the root of all the world’s troubles.

Speaking of troubles, guess who’s to blame for all the world’s poverty, wars and pollution. Well according to Chavez and Mugabe, America is to blame, who else. In fact, not only are we the cause for all the world’s problems, but the US, according to Chavez, is “threatening” all life on Earth. Mugabe, not to be outdone, likened Bush and Blair to Hitler and Mussolini, now if that doesn’t make the murderous, home destroying, vote rigging Mugabe the biggest hypocrite in world history, then nothing will. Chavez and Mugabe are the dynamic duo of hypocrites and their diatribes at the UN conference on hunger is laughable, especially Mugabe. While we may detest Chavez and his frequently polarizing fantasies, at least he hasn’t driven half his nation to the bring of hunger. Mugabe could easily be characterized as having orchestrated genocide in Zimbabwe, yet the participants at the UN conference, equally eager to pass blame for their failures on to someone else, were quick to join in applause.

Not all representatives at the UN conference choose to stoop to the level of the dynamic demagogue duo. Brazil’s President Lula, a leftist himself, was more pragmatic, while he naturally appealed to rich countries to do more in fighting hunger; he also appealed to poor countries to stamp out corruption in their own governments. Lula, points out a stark reality, those countries in abject poverty are all noted for their governmental corruption and lack of rule of law. Take Zimbabwe and Venezuela, those who oppose the ruling regime, may find themselves under government scrutiny, or worse. It was fitting that the UN Food Conference was held in Rome, as the dynamic duo turned the forum into a convention for distraction, the likes of which would have made Italy’s own Mussolini proud. The fact that Mugabe could charge that America was to blame for world poverty (and war) and receive a resounding applause speaks volumes. Here we have a collection of people that have squandered their countries resources, while abusing their political power. We have countries that have engaged in petty wars they can’t afford, while their country’s birth rate shoots through the roof, exactly how does the US come into play? Exactly how has the US fomented this crisis? The answer is simple, the US is not to blame, the US is simply a convenient target. America has contributed billions in aid, donated thousands of tons of food and even cancelled the debts of some of the world’s poorest nations, yet still they applaud. The problem of poor nations, much like individual poverty, is a direct byproduct of culture and attitude, including an entitlement attitude, which holds that other (i.e., rich nations) should bare the blame and responsibility for the failures of these countries and their corrupt governments. Those nations that stamp out corruption, those who adopt a mature attitude toward reproduction and family planning and those who embrace individual liberty and the rule of law have erased such abject poverty, while nations like Zimbabwe with their tyrannical leadership continue to grapple with it.
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/10/17/un.mugabe.ap/