Carter invited to Venezuela. (Insider Report).

No sooner had Jimmy Carter returned from his Cuban junket than Fidel Castro's Venezuelan stooge, Hugo Chavez, contacted the former U.S. president and invited him to Venezuela. Ever since surviving last April's abortive coup, Chavez has moved rapidly to consolidate power through his violent revolutionary "Bolivarian" circles, which terrorize civilians and opposition politicians alike. At the same time, Chavez and his fellow revolutionaries have been struggling to placate their determined opposition. Not surprisingly, Chavez' opponents have refused the Marxist president's olive branches. Now, Chavez is obviously hoping that Jimmy Carter will help mediate the crisis and neutralize his political enemies.

Not only is Chavez a close friend and ideological soulmate of Fidel Castro, he also reportedly has Cuban advisers helping to train his Bolivarian circles. Chavez also has sold Venezuelan oil to Cuba, providing much needed infusions of the commodity to Castro's cash-strapped regime.

It seems logical, then, that Chavez would appeal to Castro's ally Jimmy Carter for support. According to a June 14th Associated Press report, Carter will be sending a delegation to Venezuela "to assess whether he should try to help the country overcome its deep political divisions" and will go himself if "its findings are promising."