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Hugo Chavez: 10 outrageous things he said about the US

Hugo Chavez, whose death was announced Tuesday, will be remembered worldwide as much for what he said as for what he did during his 14-year rule of Venezuela. From the vitriolic to bizarre, here is a list of 10 outrageous comments he made about the “Yankee empire” and its leaders.

9. Obama a clown, but also a good guy

Miraflores Palace/Reuters/File
President Obama (l.) greets his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chávez, before the opening ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in April 2009.

President Obama followed his predecessor’s footsteps in dealing with Venezuela, criticizing its ties with Cuba and Iran.

In a written interview with Venezuela’s El Universal newspaper, Mr. Obama said the Venezuelan people would need to decide whether there are advantages to having ties with countries that violate human rights. 

“Focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster," Chávez said in a state TV interview in December 2011. He also called Obama a “clown” and an “embarrassment.”

But if Chávez were an American, he would have voted for Obama during his reelection.

Challenger Mitt Romney criticized Obama for underplaying Venezuela’s threat, but Chávez took Obama’s side, calling him “a good guy.” He urged Venezuelans to disregard Obama’s comments if the US president came out with stronger rhetoric against him.

“Obama is campaigning. He's a candidate," he said in July 2012. “I hope the real revolutionaries understand well. I think that Barack Obama – aside from 'the president' – is a good guy.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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