Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez doesn't like the US. He's often characterized as simply being anti-Bush, which for many paints him as nothing more sinister than, say, Al Franken. But it's a mistake to dismiss Chavez as a harmless 'enemy of my enemy' as many in the media have done.

This month's Atlantic Monthly has a pretty good analysis of Chavez and his increasing influence. (Did you know that Citco is a Venezuelan state-owned company?)

...Chavismo represents a bigger threat to American interests in the region than anything the United States has seen in decades. Not since the Cold War has America faced such a well-financed ideological competitor on its left. And Chávez has played his opening moves so masterfully—and the American government has played its so ineptly—that he may yet realize his neo-Bolivarian dream.

He's sending discounted oil to Massachusetts so he can't be all that bad, right? But, as the Atlantic article warns, Chavez is a master tactician and thanks to Delahunt and Joe Kennedy, the residents of Massachusetts are now pieces on his chessboard.