Whether or not Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is the next Fidel Castro, the leftist firebrand has mastered the Cuban's art of pushing the U.S.'s buttons--including the ones on our gas pumps. Venezuela is the U.S.'s fourth-largest oil supplier (15% of U.S. imports), a nearby and reliable source that few in Washington want to alienate. But the visit to Caracas last week by Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong was the latest reminder that Chávez, a sharp critic of U.S. foreign policy, wants to cut Venezuela's dependence on the U.S. market and start exporting to his oil-thirsty ideological ally, China. Talks are under...
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