It seems that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is at it again. This time he is calling Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, a Honduran Roman Catholic Cardinal, an “imperialist clown”. The reason for the name-calling is that during an interview, Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga was cited as saying that Chavez has a God-complex and thinks that he can “trample upon other people”. In the past, Chavez has been known to criticize the Catholic Church and believes that it should not involve itself in politics. Church leaders have been critical of Chavez’s ways and believe that he is trying to transform the country into a socialist state.

How is a member of the Roman Catholic faith an imperialist? Imperialism implies that someone has taken territory using force. Or in modern theories it implies that one uses political or economic power to induce a subordinate into compliance. So how is that true of a Roman Catholic leader? I think the Roman Catholic church has less power nowadays than it did say 500-800 years ago (uniting Europe to push back the Islamic invaders under the auspices of the "Crusades").

I really love the fact that Chavez uses name calling so much as a form of diplomacy. "Imperialist Clown." That's priceless! Shows his credibility, truly.