Bloomberg warns that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will be facing some serious problems due to$60 oil. Naturally, some of his programs are going to have to suffer, but he's resilient. And of course, the U.S. is to blame for this. Chavez was quick to throw the blame on his favorite punching bag, King George of the United States. Big, bad America went and screwed up the whole world just to make Chavez look bad. I'm sure that logic works out somehow. But Chavez is trying to make amends with the U.S., somewhat, offering to let the U.S. ambassador return after the presidential changing of the guard in January. However, that might mean Chavez having to fess up to a few things. It's worked out great in his favor to have Bush as a scapegoat for his economic failings, but once Barack Obama gets in and his country is still crumby, then what? I'm going to guess that Chavez is going to go racist, claiming Obama is a traitor because he refuses to turn the U.S. into a new Bolivia. You know, poorly run but with a heart when it comes to the poor people, making sure they get just enough love to stay loyal but not enough to become successful or self-sufficient (those kinds of people tend to think about money. Ick!) The demand for oil may be down but the dollar is gaining in value. Countries like Cuba are trying to bring in some dough with its offshore oil discoveries, and likewise distance themselves from Venezuela. But those are all bad things according to our socialist friend! We Americans need to just stop being so darn successful, because we're making Chavez look bad! Shame on us! –Stephen Payne, Editor, Oil and Gas Investor This Week; www.OilandGasInvestor.com; spayne@hartenergy.com