Did you know that Venezuela is the leading buyer of arms and military equipment in the world today? Did you know that Chavez is building an army of more than a million soldiers and the most potent air force in South America-the largest Spanish-speaking armed force in history?

Did you know that Venezuela will shortly spend thirty billion dollars to build twenty military bases in neighboring Bolivia, which will dominate the borders with Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil? The bases will be commanded by Venezuelan and Cuban officers. ~Rick Santorum

Sen. Santorum, did you know that Hugo Chavez is probably building up his air force as a countermeasure against the threat of a coup because his position is so weak and fragile?  Not exactly a Master of the Universe, is he?  Did you know that there has never been a less frightening prospect than a Venezuela-Cuba power axis (unless it is perhaps the old threat of the Belize-Argentina coalition)?  Did you know that demagogic blowhards say all kinds of outrageous and overly ambitious things to compensate for their own impressive weakness and international insecurity?  Did you know that Bolivia does not border on Venezuela and cannot be said to be a “neighbouring” country when it is 600 miles away and separated by the Amazon Basin?