Venezuela's Chavez back on TV, squashes new rumour

[joshcryer]

5. That is his right to privacy, it's unsual for a President to do that...

...but we all know Bush probably concealed that he was drunk during the pretzel incident. I'm just sayin', if Chavez choose to go to Cuba for privacy, so be it. It'd be nice if they were open about it, but what can you do?

It may not be to the best of his health, though. Venezuela has a malignant neoplasms (PDF) mortality rate of 62.8 per 100,000. Whereas Cuba is 141 per 100,000. I know where I'd rather be treated for cancer. Even Brazil is better than Cuba. This is not to bash the Cuban system, they have the best preventative care on the planet. It's just a factual observation for when that preventative care fails or genetics aren't in your favor (ie, cancer). I think it's clear that the right to privacy trumps the best care (in Venezuela) in this case. They don't want leaks, they don't want speculation. Even in Brazil, which offered free care, they refused, because it's likely the news media would be camped out every time Chavez got a checkup. Cuba assures privacy, guaranteed.

In any event, we now know who has good rumors, this has been floating around twitter over the weekend. It wasn't accurate, as he didn't at the time have surgery, but it was half right. They'd rather no one know what was going on, imo.