It All Finally Makes Sense

So, Hugo Chavez calls Bush the devil and all hell breaks loose. Democrats argue that he can’t criticize Americans. 7-11 fires Citgo as it’s gasoline provider, thereby jeopardizing the jobs of 4,000 Americans who work for Citgo. People protest against the Citgo sign at Boston's Fenway Park.

But what slays me even more, is that no one I’ve seen has commented on how Chavez’s words differ very little from President Bush’s comments in his 2002 State of the Union Address. In that speech, Bush indicated that Iraq, Iran and North Korea were part of an axis of evil. Let’s turn to the Oxford American Dictionary, shall we?

Dev-il (dev-il) n. 1. the Devil (in Jewish and Christian teaching) the supreme spirit of evil and enemy of God. 2. an evil spirit. 3. a wicked or cruel or annoying person. 4. a mischievous person or a person of great cleverness 5. (informal) something difficult or hard to manage…

E-vil (ee-vil) adj. 1. morally bad, wicked. 2. harmful, intending to do harm. 3. very unpleasant or troublesome…

AND…

Recently, Jerry Falwell said that a 2008 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign would do more to energize the religious right than if Lucifer himself ran for President.

He later said he was kidding.

So, here are my conclusions:

It is NOT okay for Hugo Chavez to call President Bush the devil, even if devil means a wicked, cruel or annoying person*.

It IS okay for Bush to call three countries evil, even if evil means morally bad or wicked.

Christians of the Falwell variety would do very little to oppose Satan if he or she ran for President, but they would fight like the dickens against Senator Clinton.

And…if my logic is working right -

That’s why Christians of the Falwell variety support President Bush. Though he smells like sulfur, he’s not as bad a Senator Clinton.




*And I would argue that Bush is not only wicked, cruel and annoying, but that he also an enemy of God, a mischievous person, and that he finds the presidency difficult or hard to manage. I would not, however, argue that he is a person of great cleverness.