`Chavez obsessed with Bolivar, sees himself as reincarnation`

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For Hugo Chavez, Simon Bolivar is more than a founding father to be feted once a year on his birthday. He's the icon of an entire political movement. He's a muse whose words inspire nearly two centuries after his death. For Chavez, Bolivar is an obsession.The President's admiration for "El Libertador", goes far beyond the conventional reverence most Venezuelans hold for the independence leader who was being honoured on Saturday on the 227th anniversary of his birth.Chavez views himself as the modern emissary and disciple of Bolivar, and sees parallels between his hero's efforts to free South America from Spanish rule and his own crusade to challenge US influence in the region. Critics say he is trying to cast himself as Bolivar's reincarnation — an allegation Chavez denies.Chavez's fascination with Bolivar has been on display like never before this month as he has exhumed Bolivar's bones in hopes of using modern forensics to confirm his identity — and investigate the theory his idol was felled by a murder conspiracy.Chavez is undeterred in using Bolivar as his political stamp. A portrait of the 19th century independence leader often serves as a backdrop during televised speeches in which Chavez reads Bolivar's writings and expounds on his aims.His political movement — the Bolivarian Revolution — takes its name from his idol. Shortly after taking office in 1999, Chavez pressured a popularly elected assembly packed with his allies to change the country's name to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. He has vowed to build a monument to Bolivar atop the mountains that fringe Caracas.At public events, he sometimes brandishes Bolivar's sword — a solid-gold saber encrusted with more than 1,000 diamonds, rubies and other precious stones. He has given gold-plated replicas of the sword to foreign allies, including Fidel Castro and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.Some accuse Chavez of launching the investigation into Bolivar's death in hopes of affecting legislative elections in September.Opposition newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff says Chavez tries to portray himself as a modern-day Bolivar, attempting to win over supporters by tapping into nationalist sentiment.The government has organised events marking Bolivar's birthday on Saturday. Chavez supporters planned to march through Caracas carrying a handcrafted flag to be draped over Bolivar's sarcophagus at the National Pantheon.In a speech on Wednesday, he denied attempting to compare himself with Bolivar. "What's the objective? To label Chavez as crazy," he said."Of course I'm far from comparing myself with our father Bolivar. I'm a microscopic soldier next to the giant."

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