Typically, State Department officials grit their teeth when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez challenges U.S. foreign policy, but he occasionally provokes a sharper reaction. For example, in August Chávez was the first Western nation head of state to visit Iraq since the U.N.-imposed boycott went into effect ten years ago. State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher called the trip "irritating" and "a bad idea." Foreign Minister José Vicente Rangel retorted by labeling the U.S. attitude "hypocrisy." He added that in the past the U.S. government maintained cordial relations with both military and Communist regimes, and so "why can't we do the same?" In a nation-wide broadcast the day after he returned, Chávez mocked Boucher's statements suggesting the use of body cream "to alleviate the irritation."

     This was not the first time that a State Department official lost his-her patience and disregarded Washington's official policy of restraint toward Chávez. Earlier this year, Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Peter Romero told Spanish reporters: "In Venezuela, you don't see a government in charge -- only plebiscites, referendums and more elections. They tell us 'wait,' but we gringos are not exactly known for our patience."

     Actually, Romero had reason to be irked. Chávez had just snubbed a U.S. offer to send marine corps engineers and bulldozers to repair the highway connecting Caracas with coastal areas devastated by heavy flooding on December 15 of last year. Chávez feared that the sheer number of U.S. military personnel reaching as many as 1000 would set a dangerous precedent. In previous weeks, U.S. ambassador John Maisto had assured the State Department that the plan for aid would win Chávez over to closer relations with the U.S. In th