Who is Hugo Chavez and why does he hate us?

The rise of Venezuela's left-wing President, Hugo Chavez, is a lesson in what can happen when the U.S. disses an entire continent.  Who is Chavez, and what role has he played in the fact that U.S. influence in Latin America is perhaps at its lowest ebb.  Brian Nelson, in his book The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup Against Chavez and the Making of Modern Venezuela, shows why  the U.S., especially under the Bush administration has failed in our Latin American policy and why the most resource rich country in the region is also the most corrupt.