Idiot in Search of a Village

Somebody let Hugo Chavez near a microphone again, and Hugo did not disappoint.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has set off on a visit to Latin America, after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez linked her party to Hitler.

Mr Chavez threatened to confront Ms Merkel on Friday at a summit in Peru of Latin American and European leaders.

Not happy with calling Bush names, Chavez is branching out.

"She is from the German right," said Mr Chavez. "The same that supported Hitler, that supported fascism. That's the Chancellor of Germany today."

The Venezuelan leader stopped short of telling Ms Merkel to go to hell, saying: "Ms Chancellor, you can go to... because you are a lady, I won't say any more.

That's an interesting perspective since Hitler, like Chavez, was a leftwinger.

Chavez reminds me of the town drunk you see staggering around, raving at passers-by. But he is an equal opportunity raver:

Mr Chavez is no stranger to insulting international leaders.

He has called President Bush a "devil" and was told to "shut up" by King Juan Carlos of Spain after calling former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar a "fascist"

Somewhere, a village is looking for its idiot.