[Bedreviter]

Ok, my answer was based on the fact that you were surprised that annoyed when someone on this forum referred to Chavez as dictator. On forums like these you see that all the time, I dont know how many times Ive seen the Bush=Hitler comparison on various forums, and yes it grows old pretty fast. One argument many conspiracy theorists make for calling Bush dictator is that they believe that Bush would somehow change the laws to ensure himself a 3rd term, something that obviously will not happen. Chavez on the other hand have already done this, or is trying to do so.

Of course no serious journalist in the US will call Bush a dictator, thats pretty obvious. But some might refer to Chavez as one, which might not be totally warranted, but have some validity due to the amount of presidential power he has ensured during his presidency, coupled with a silencing of the opposition and restrictions of the freedom of speech.

I bet Chavez is treated more fairly by American media than Bush is by the Venezuelan media, but Im not saying that justifies calling Chavez a dictotor though. But then again Im not sure what to refer to him as, he might not be a dictator, but neither is he filling the role of a president the way we are used to from a president.