Many Americans are calling for boycott of Citgo products lately. Why? The fact that Citgo is 100% owned by ...

US political leaders spanning party lines have had enough of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez's political circus. At the UN annual meeting in New York Tuesday (9/19/06) Chavez referred to President Bush as "The Devil". In his brash speech that rocked political leaders, Chavez uttered, "The devil came here yesterday, and it smells of sulfur still today." Later Tuesday, Chavez kept up his criticism of Bush during a visit to Harlem on Thursday, calling the U.S. president "a sick man" who is unqualified for the job.

In response to Chavez's speech at the UN on Tuesday, Charles Rangel (Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York) publicly scolded, "You don't come into my country; you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president."

Even strong Bush critic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, was blunt in her criticism of the Venezuelan leader. "He is an everyday thug," she proclaimed.

But where did all this rigmarole originate from? Historically, relations between the US and Venezuela have been good, but since Hugo Chávez was elected President of Venezuela in 1998, relations went south. Chavez immediately began leading his country on a far left leaning and anti-North American path that remains to this day, and unfortunately, the long-standing close diplomatic relationship between Venezuela and the United States continues to progressively worsen.

Examples include Chávez's public friendship and significant trade relationship with Cuba and Fidel Castro, undermining the U.S. policy of isolating Cuba. Additionally, long-running ties between the U.S. and Venezuelan militaries were severed on Chávez's initiative. In 2000, Chavez became the first foreign head of state to visit Iraq since the 1991 Gulf war, in spite of strong opposition from the US and others. His reckless course did not come without a price though. In 2002 their national currency (the Bolivar) tanked 25% against the US dollar following their denial of exchange rate controls. His parade marches on and on. If it displeases the United States, Hugo Chavez is all for it.

Being the only South American country belonging to OPEC, Chavez is suspected of conspiring to keep oil prices peaking for his own obvious political and economical gain. Chaves is quoted as saying, "The barrel could reach $200 from one day to the other ... the US government can forget about the 1.5 million barrels of oil that we send every day and which contributes enough to its development." Although throughout the 1990's (especially preceding the Chavez era) the barrel cost of oil was hovered in the $20 range, Chavez has a LOT of crude control and he knows it. According to US sources, Venezuela holds 90% of the world's extra heavy crude oil.

In his comment to the BBC admitting price-fixing intentions, "We have the largest oil reserves in the world, we have oil for 200 years." Mr Chávez told the BBC's Newsnight program in an interview to be broadcast tonight. "$50 a barrel - that's a fair price, not a high price."

According to Wikipedia, "Chávez's stance as an OPEC price hawk has raised the price of oil for the United States, as Venezuela pushed OPEC producers towards a higher price, around $25 a barrel. During Venezuela's presidency of OPEC in 2000, Chávez made a ten-day tour of OPEC countries, in the process becoming the first head of state to meet Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War. The visit was controversial at home and in the US, although Chávez did respect the ban on international flights to and from Iraq (he drove from Iran, his previous stop)."

For consumers who already are disenfranchised by the prices at the pump, this recent Chavez fiasco was the last straw. "I just cannot give up my hard-earned money to Chavez's government-run Citgo." a motorist was quoted as saying, "Not anymore, not after all this. You disrespect my country, my President and our way of life and the people will take their business elsewhere. It's as simple as that."