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Hugo Chavez to Edgar Renteria: “We beat Bush’s team!”

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez talks on the phone with Edgar Renteria in Caracas

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez talks on the phone with Colombian baseball star of San Francisco Giants Edgar Renteria after Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos gave the call to him during a meeting at Miraflores Palace in Caracas November 2, 2010. Renteria of Colombia hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning that eventually gave the Giants a 3-1 win in the game against the Texas Rangers and a 4-1 series win during Monday’s World Series showdown on Monday. REUTERS/Handout-Miraflores Place (VENEZUELA - Tags: POLITICS SPORT BASEBALL) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

REUTERS

This is absolutely delicious.

Earlier this week Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos had a summit meeting. As recounted in this BBC report, the meeting was interrupted so Santos could call national hero Edgar Renteria and congratulate him on winning the World Series. Chavez, a huge baseball fan, spoke with Renteria too. And yes, that’s actually a picture of Chavez on the phone talking to Renteria.

What didn’t make the BBC report, however -- but which did make it into Daniel Lozano’s report in the Spanish language paper Publico was this:

“The two leaders joked over the phone with baseball player Edgar Renteria, the star who just won the baseball title for the San Francisco Giants after 56 years. Chavez challenged him to a Caimanera (a casual game) and confessed his joy at the victory: ‘We beat Bush’s team!’”

That’s some tasty world-leader-level taunting. But man, I’m glad we have term limits in this country. If Bush were still in office the air strikes would be launched by dawn.

(thanks to Nick Collias for the heads up and the translation of the Lozano report)