The Big Guy

Re: Chavez and King of Spain dispute
My Chilean partner's fairly wealthy and conservative family in Chile called during the Cumbre in Santiago to say that "Chavez was hit" in Chile, despite negative coverage in the local, right-wing corporate media.
Perhaps this is because Spain owns so much of Chile these days and many people resent this (even conservatives).
The situation in Chile is interesting because I think many people are unhappy with the status quo but are not interested in the alternative offered by Chavez. Nonetheless, Chavez (who is good friends with Chile's arch-enemy, Bolivia) gets to say the kind of things that Chileans and Chilean politicians cannot. I suspect this is the way Chavez is viewed in other Latin American countries as well.
Cheers,
John Richmond
Toronto, Canada