Ave Cincinnatus

Over at the tomb of the Grantites, they continue to hang onto the coattails of Hugo Chavez - urging a yes vote in the constitutional amendment.

A detour - two early American presidents did two amzaing things - the first, george Washignton, resigned after two terms. War hero, general, fatehr of the nation, inspiration for the only truly national party (the veterans) he could have ruled for life. he could, if he'd tried, gone for dictator. He didn't, he retired. His successor did something even more amazin, he got voted out of office. Almost unheard of. he went. Admittedly, behind all this lay teh militias, and their implied threat, but still, the American revolution carried off its most splendid coup - power can change hands at the ballot box - and it survived.

Chavez has institutionalised turn limits - no office hodler in the land can even try for indefinite tenure. He created the Bolivarian Constitution which limitted the president to two terms. Now he wants the president to be the exception - claiming that he is the artist whose vision is being carried out. He wants to add to that the power of decree.

For the good of whatever advances have been made in Venezuela, pace the old Grantites, Chavez needs to be rebuffed - the lesson must be rammed home - a movement is more than one man. What the world needs is an example of genuinely popular democratic change, not another fucking caudillo.