The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela downplayed the planned deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for naval exercises in the Caribbean amid claims by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez that his nation must prepare for a possible U.S. invasion. The Doral-based U.S. Southern Command this week announced that the USS George Washington — along with a destroyer, cruiser, frigate and a 60-plane air wing — would conduct military exercises from early April to late May with other Caribbean countries to enhance maritime security. Full Story