I NEVER TIRED TO SAY THIS

THAT HUGO CHAVEZ IS A BASTARD

BUT NOW HAS OVERCAME THE LINE Carcas - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday praised a decision by a city mayor to take down a statue of Christopher Columbus in Caracas.The statue of Columbus used to look out over a hilltop park in the capital but was ordered taken down by Mayor Jorge Rodriguez of Caracas' Libertador district.Chavez said in a televised speech that his political ally made a good move in removing the statue.The socialist leader said when Columbus reached the Americas more than five centuries ago, he led an invasion that produced a genocide for the indigenous people.Chavez suggested that instead of Columbus, a statue of an Indian should be erected at the spot.It was not the first time a statue of Columbus has come down in Caracas. In 2004, a group of pro-Chavez protesters knocked over a bronze statue of Columbus, smashed it up and took it away in a truck. The pedestal where it stood remains empty today.