Descent

(T)Hugo Chavez has had his rubber stamp legislature grant their seal of approval to his demand that he be allowed to dictate law by executive fiat. Venezuela has begun the descent into dictatorship and rule by personality cult.

Venezuela's National Assembly has given initial approval to a bill granting the president the power to bypass congress and rule by decree for 18 months.

President Hugo Chavez says he wants "revolutionary laws" to enact sweeping political, economic and social changes.

He has said he wants to nationalise key sectors of the economy and scrap limits on the terms a president can serve.

Mr Chavez began his third term in office last week after a landslide election victory in December.

The bill allowing him to enact laws by decree is expected to win final approval easily in the assembly on its second reading on Tuesday.

Venezuela's political opposition has no representation in the National Assembly since it boycotted elections in 2005.

A couple of points. First: Boycotting elections: Dumb ass move, every time. Second: To the misguided who keep spouting about how Bush is seizing power, forming an imperial presidency, blah, blah, blah. This is what a real power grab to form a dictatorship looks like. This is a coup and Venezuela is about to enter a very, very dark night. This is dressing up a dictatorship with the faux trappings of democracy. The Venezuelan Congress is effectively dead as a real legislative body as of today. Now they exist only at the pleasure of (T)Hugo. And he won't be pleased if anyone opposes him. Expect a flood of refugees escaping Venezuela.

UPDATE: TigerHawk has a simple, elegant suggestion to help solve this. Yes, it has real problems but it really is something that would help quell this kind of thing in the future as well.  The Reaction sort of gets half of it. Still a bit confused about what a real dictatorship looks like as opposed to a "Hollywood in your head" version of reality. The Belmont Club half-jokingly seconds Tigerhawk's half-joking suggestion.

UPDATE: QandO and a "'natch". Clue for Kathy here: Look very, very closely at (T)hugo's behavior and try to figure out how that is not the same as your "liberal" interpretation of reality in the US. (I'm quite sure that will provoke yet another Clueproof® screed.)

UPDATE: Others: Captain's Quarters, TMV, The Liberty Papers, Never Yet Melted, Stuck In The Middle, Dr. Sanity,