There was an outbreak of sensibility in Venezuela this weekend as that swaggering gasbag, Hugo Chavez, was set back in his bid to rewrite the constitution.  Chavez, who was recently and openly told to “shut up” by King Juan Carlos of Spain, has been on a nationalization binge in the last few years. To validate his further consolidation of power, his party attempted to alter the constitution to favor his continued tenure and further his grasp on the resources of the state.  The people of Venezuela told him to go powder his nose.

Things weren’t so democratic in Russia last weekend as a highly managed political campaign delivered the goods. That is, victory for the Party of Vlad Putin, the new Czar of Russia. With key opposition leaders temporarily in jail (Kasparov), and a state controlled media, a comfortable margin of victory was delivered as expected to Putin by his aparachiki. 

Russia’s long, sad history of Big Boss rule continues.