Some people don't like us...

I think Hugo Chavez, Venezuala's current President, is a fascinating character.

The first thing that makes him fascinating to me is that he's openly willing to absolutely lay the smack down on the US in about as big a forum as he could manage, the United Nations. He has been allying himself with Cuba and China and does just about anything that he can manage to slam the US and our status as the last global superpower.

The second thing that makes him fascinating is his history of political failure and success and failure and success again and again. This man's had more lives than Nixon, than Superman, than Jimmy Frickin' Hoffa.

Then there's the allegedly unfair press coverage that Chavez is supposedly getting here in the US. I don't honestly have any clue as to how Chavez is received in his country - whether to believe that 600,000 marched against him or that 200,000 marched in support of him at the same time.

Am I supposed to believe what Time said about him or what The Times said?

Then there's the fact that Pat Robertson apparently wants him dead which suggests to me that Chavez must be doing something right.

And, he's apparently offered us oil at $50 a barrel. Clearly the man's worth knowing about.

Plus, I just kind of like the jaunty parrot...