Chavez 'like a dictator without class'

Marvellous observation by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer:

Mr Downer said he was not surprised Mr Chavez received some laughs and cheers at the General Assembly following his comments.

"I've seen it before with Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, and Dr Mahathir the former prime minister of Malaysia," Mr Downer said.

"A lot of these people who get up there and denounce the free world and denounce the United States, they get a bit of applause. They get applause from like-minded people.

"He can say what he likes but he has to live with the consequences of his words, and I just think in a country like Australia people look at a man like that ranting and it reflects very poorly on the whole of Venezuela that they've got a leader as classless as that in his political behaviour."

-- Nora