How did our oil end up under Venezuela?

Michelle forwarded me a link to this op-ed from the Houston Chronicle. Not wanting to be outdone by the imperialists at the Washington Post, New York Times, and Miami Herald, Douglass MacKinnon puts out one of the most vile anti-Chavez pieces I've seen. Excerpt:

On any given day, Venezuela is the No. 1 to No. 4 supplier of gasoline and oil to the United States. Its internal politics and stability are of great importance and concern to our national security. All in our government who follow this issue are holding their breath, crossing their fingers, and hoping that the opposition in Venezuela succeeds in ousting Chavez.

Why? The reasons are many and simple. Since his election in 1998, Hugo Chavez has become a dictator in all but title. He has: openly courted and visited terrorist leaders around the world; he has aligned himself with Fidel Castro; he has imported thousands of intelligence operatives from Cuba to spy on his own people; he has used the vilest language to attack President Bush and our nation; he has openly tried to destabilize the government of Colombia; he has exported revolution throughout the region; and he has allowed members of al-Qaida to operate within the borders of Venezuela. By any rational definition, this man is a threat to our nation and to the entire Western Hemisphere.

This is all such a load of hooey I'm not even sure Dick Cheney would say as much. Even the ridiculous opposition in Caracas hasn't been playing the al-Qaida card, as far as I know. Given that the 9/11 hijackers operated within our borders for months before 9/11, and that Bush has said that AQ is still here, it's a vacuous charge. MacKinnon ends thusly:

Understandably, Chavez is feeling upbeat regarding his chances for victory. In a direct affront to President Bush and his administration, Chavez has stated that his victory will "be a home run that will fall on the gardens of the White House."

Sunday. A day that means nothing to Americans now, but will if Chavez survives or steals the recall. It will serve as a lasting reminder that part of our national security rests in the hands of a tyrant.

Imagine, an affront to Bush, the only world "leader" who recognized the illegal 2002 coup against Chavez. Heck, I hope his home run breaks a window in the oval office.