Chavez Calls Cheney & Co. 'Ignorant Fools' After Slip-up

Hugo Chavez had a little fun at Dick Cheney's expense yesterday; after the US vice president confused Venezuela with Peru in a weekend speech, the bombastic Venezuelan president said the slip-up showed that "those who govern the United States are a bunch of ignorant fools. "They don't know where Venezuela is, nor do they know where Peru is,"  Chavez said, laughing.

Cheney, asked during an appearance in Dallas whether he was concerned about Chavez's growing influence, said, "My own personal view is that he does not represent the future of Latin America, and the people of Peru I think deserve better in their leadership." Chavez recently said he expects no improvement in relations with the US as long as George Bush is in office, the AP reports. (More Hugo Chavez stories.)