The Mind Boggles

I thought that this sort of anti-Semitism was completely gone--but since the speaker is a bit of a hero to the left, I guess that I am not surprised:

CHAVEZ MAKES ANTI-SEMITIC CHRISTMAS SPEECH

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced in a Christmas speech that “the descendants of those who crucified Christ” have appropriated the riches of the world.

Speaking at a rehabilitation center on December 24, the controversial left-wing president said “the descendants of those who crucified Christ... have taken ownership of the riches of the world, a minority has taken ownership of the gold of the world, the silver, the minerals, water, the good lands, petrol, well, the riches, and they have concentrated the riches in a small number of hands.”

For Spanish speakers on this list, the full speech can be found at
www.gobiernoenlinea.gob.ve/docMgr/sharedfiles/Chavez_visita_Centro_Manantial_de_los_suenos24122005.pdf (The remarks about Jews are on page 18.)

I don't speak Spanish, but others who apparently do have come up with a similar translation.

I found myself wondering: is he talking about the United States? But it wasn't Americans who crucified Jesus. (Actually, it wasn't Jews who crucified Jesus; it was Romans--but little details like history don't usually bother anti-Semites.)