VHeadline News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue writes: There you have it then! Hillary Clinton has not changed her opinion on Venezuela since signing on as Secretary of State. For Clinton. Venezuela continues to be enemy No.1 of the United States in the region exporting dissension, international terrorism and Socialism.

The ease with which Globovision obtained the interview speaks for itself as does the access that hunger-striking Metropolitan Mayor Antonio Ledezma had in speaking to White House officials. From the corridor to the Oval Office is a short step that only shadow elections council, Sumate chief Maria Corina Machado has managed to jump for a famous photo shoot with George W. Bush.

Entering the White House and/or interviewing Hilary Clinton is a major scoop for Globovision and a pat on the back for the opposition in Venezuela. As for the interview itself, Leopoldo Castillo's questions were all leading into the main objective of the exercise ... which was to condemn the Venezuelan government for not aping US democracy.

The usual red flags were hoisted for a US hawk to respond to: separation of powers, Iran, human rights, press freedoms, use and abuse of power etc. etc.

However, there were a few points that Chavez and the Venezuelan government could pick up on, such as permanence in power -- which in the case of Venezuela, has its checks and balances not in an opposition that takes its beat from Washington, but from the organized people and their growing political consciousness.

The President (Chavez) must face up to the criticism from within and, in my opinion, showed edginess when the word "hyper-leadership" cropped up at a meeting of international sympathizers.

The problem is not Clinton ... the Globovision interview gave the signal that the opposition can count on her.

• It is President Obama and the growing feeling in South American circles that he is passing the buck.

The nasty and racist comments of Dictator Micheletti in Honduras is equivalent to a smack in the face, and Obama must be getting the impression that a lot of the oligarchies in South and Central America patronize him as the "negrito."

The opposition in Venezuela is not sure about Obama, and that surely is another point in favor of Venezuela's vibrant style of democracy.

Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick@vheadline.com

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Editorial: Roy S. Carson Editor@VHeadline.com Patrick J. O'Donoghue news.editor@VHeadline.com telephone Caracas-VZ (0212) 335 7531 HOUSTON (713) 893-1433 The Chavez Code: Cracking US Intervention Bush Versus Chávez: War on Venezuela CODIGO CHAVEZ: DESCIFRANDO LA INTERVENCION DE LOS EE.UU. EN VENEZUELA Hugo!: The Hugo Chavez Story from Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution HUGO: THE HUGO CHAVEZ STORY Alarm over Chavez ignores complexity  Class, Conflict, and the Chavez Phenomenon Venezuela: Hugo Chavez and the Decline of an Exceptional Democracy Changing Venezuela by Taking Power Birds of Venezuela Venezuela: What Dictatorship?  What Dictator? Venezuela, democracia y politica exterior ¿PARA QUE UNA POLITICA EXTERIOR? La era de las aldeas: La pequena aldea vs. la aldea global El declive de EE.UU. Tiene futuro America Latina? Podrâ Obama con el cambio? Las falacias del libre comercio Hegemonia e imperio