Spy Chief: Iraq May Spark Regional Battle

Spy Chief tells us what we already know:

A civil war in Iraq could lead to a broader conflict in the Middle East, pitting the region's rival Islamic sects against each another, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said in an unusually frank assessment Tuesday.
"If chaos were to descend upon Iraq or the forces of democracy were to be defeated in that country ... this would have implications for the rest of the Middle East region and, indeed, the world," Negroponte said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on global threats.

No Sh*t! What have so many been saying would happen in Iraq? But who are those forces for democracy? Are they U.S. Troops? I really don't see any Iraqi forces there for democracy - survival and freedom - yes, democracy (I don't think so).

Sanity on that point but a lttle scary when he states:

On Venezuela, Negroponte said U.S. intelligence expects President Hugo Chavez to deepen his relationship with Cuban President Fidel Castro and "seek closer economic, military and diplomatic ties with Iran and North Korea."
Negroponte said the U.S. is concerned about Chavez's arms purchases, using profits from oil production. "I would say that it's clear that he is spending hundreds of millions, if not more, for his very extravagant foreign policy" at the expense of the impoverished Venezuelan population, he said.

Do we have to be at "war" with everyone these days?