NewsBusted, news flash from Osama,and more news

And, at NewsBusters, Wash. Monthly Blog Shows for Left, Name Calling = Political Analysis by another Clinton intern.
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News flash for Osama bin Laden, who's still calling for "guerrilla forces in Mesopotamia." to kill themselves for him.

Obviously Osama's not happy over the fact that by now even Associated Press (that arm of the vast right-wing conspiracy) is reporting that Iraq: al-Qaida 75 Percent Gone

Too bad Osama didn't know about the Terrifying new video from previously unknown terror group

What? Subtitles?

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GM Roper endorses a presidential candidate.

I'm still undecided.
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Louisiana Conservative looks forward to 2008.
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Neither Frank Gaffney, nor John Bolton, nor Tom Friedman are Huckabee advisors.

Obviously.
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Via Larwyn, not quite suitable for work, but funny, Spicoli Divorcing, Announces Engagement to Chavez.



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Hugo goes for the gusto

As expected, Venezuela's Chavez calls for end to term limits, along with more control over banks, international reserves and powers to expropriate private property by decree; that is, the whole enchilada arepa.

An expensive arepa it is to import, considering how sending suitcases full of cash to finance pro-Chavez candidates in Latin America. This week it was Argentina's turn, for $800,000:

The money could have been intended for the campaign of first lady Cristina Kirchner or for pro-Chavez groups such as D'Elía's, or may be a kickback to Argentine government officials for a business deal. Either way, if it had been clean, it would have been done by wire transfer.

But let's keep an eye on the menu.

Of course, Hugo's serving that arepa with side dishes, in order to keep the visitng useful tools like Barbara Walters, Cindy Sheehan and Sean Penn happy. The side dish de hoy being

The assembly is expected to approve the proposals within several months and they would then be put to a national referendum.

Chavez control 100% of the assembly (all 167 seats), the courts, and the state and municipal governments (except for a few where opposition candidates won posts).

(To those of you who want to convince me that Chavez has been lawfully elected by wide margins consistently since 1998, let's just say that an audit of the 2004 election showed a 99% chance that there was electoral fraud. Wide margins, of course, do not a democracy make.)

And the platter's got some garnish too,

President Chavez told the assembly his proposals would only affect 33 articles, about 10% of the constitution.

Then there's the bread: six-hours-a-day socialism, by which the maximum working day is reduced to six hours. "Now we are headed straight towards socialism," says Hugo, in a giant leap forward to Mugabe-style prosperity.

Additionally, Captain Ed noticed,

Chavez also has a mechanism that will cripple these officeholders even further. Hugo has formed 20,000 "communal councils" that will have the power to distribute funds from the dictator on infrastructure maintenance and social welfare programs. The councils answer to him, and their distribution of money will solidify Chavez' grip on the nation.

These changes effectively

are intended to 1) reinforce Chavez powers and 2) make sure that no one has access to enough power to launch a threatening bid against Chavez in any future election.

With a menu like that, Hugo's well on his way to being the happiness dictator.

Banana republic flambe for dessert to follow.

Until then, don't go wearing a thong.

Update
Father and son?



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Please also vote for this post at Real Clear Politics.

The honeymoon is over

Kate and the Hispanic American Center for Economic Research sent an extraordinarily interesting article in the NYT on Chavez: Chavez Takes 'Crazy Battalion' of Supporters on the Road
For starters, there's the photo of Sean Penn cringing next to Hugo, who's grandstanding with a picture of Che:

After carefully reading the article I can see that the nearly two-year-long honeymoon Chavez has enjoyed in the NYT where they incessantly repeated the words from a full-page full-color Venezuelan government ad they ran in December 2005 portraying Chavez as

a-charismatic-leader-helping-the-poor-offering-free-health-care-education-adult-literacy-and-job-training-initiatives-that-help-millions-of-Venezuelans

has come to an end.

Let's examine the text carefully (emphasis added); the contrast with the AP lovefest couldn't be greater:

But rarely has the reception of foreign actors and writers been as warm as it was this week for Mr. Penn, whom Mr. Chávez, perhaps smarting from international condemnation over his government's treatment of critics in the local news media, hailed as "valiant" for his outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq and other policies of the Bush administration.

What followed, for a handful of journalists given the rare opportunity of accompanying Mr. Chavez on such a trip, was a glimpse into his government's use of imagery and pomp to court public opinion both at home and abroad.

Hugo wouldn't stop at the local mom-and-pop businesses along the road so his guests could use the facilites,

lurching ahead as desperate news cameramen and photographers yelled at the driver to start or stop. At times they cheered, as when they got shots of Mr. Penn urinating on the side of the road.

Even Sean started to demur

In a brief interview at one of the motorcade’s many stops, Mr. Penn declined to discuss any similarities that might exist between the president in the driver's seat of the Tiuna and the Southern populist, loosely based on Louisiana governor Huey Long, that Mr. Penn played in the recent film adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s "All the King’s Men."

How 'bout that. Someone other than I saw a similarity there.

And with the acumen of a politician who knows how to celebrate friends where he can find them, Mr. Chavez switched into English with a few words for Mr. Penn: "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

I certainly hope Simon Romero keeps filing reports like this one.

If he does, I might even start reading the NYT again.



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First there were Bing and Bob, now we have Sean and Hugo

In a PR piece worthy of Old Hollywood, AP's Ian James has come up with this beaut (pay attention to the lovely text - emphasis added):

On the road with Sean Penn and Chavez

LA GRITA, Venezuela (AP) — Aboard the presidential jet, a grinning Hugo Chavez put a hand on Sean Penn's shoulder, praised his acting and added: "And he's anti-Bush!"

The Venezuelan president reveled in his role as host to the Hollywood star as they flew across the country Friday and traveled through the countryside in a military jeep with Chavez at the wheel, stopping to greet cheering supporters.

Can you spell Potamkin Village, Sean?

But let's not spare the anti-American rod, lest it spoils the child, since there are poorly-veiled threats to make,

Enlivened by his conversations with Penn, the socialist president lambasted the U.S. government for "destroying the world" with war and warned of brewing economic troubles, saying Washington should do much more for its own poor.

"There could be a revolution there," Chavez said. "We'll help them. The United States must be helped because the United States is going to implode."

But back to feeling the loooove,

Penn's star power was eclipsed by Chavez, who honked to flag-waving admirers along the road through a mountain valley and stopped to kiss children and clasp hands with screaming women.

As it turns out, Ian did two versions of the same skit, since we all know that two are better than one: Sean Penn takes back seat on Chavez tour, but the loooove flows all over the place,

It was a familiar scene for Chavez, who grew up poor in a small town in rural Venezuela, and who loves to show visitors what his government is doing for everyday Venezuelans.

I've been quoting that very phrase out of a Venezuelan government ad that ran in the NYT in December 2005:

charismatic-leader-helping-the-poor-offering-free-health-care-education-adult-literacy-and-job-training-initiatives-that-help-millions-of-Venezuelans,

Luckily there is a star who's got the eggs to stand up to Venezuela's Communist-in-chief:

Cuban-born actress Maria Conchita Alonso, who grew up in Venezuela, said Penn's visit lends support to a "totalitarian" leader who wants increasing control of society—a charge Chavez denies. Speaking by phone from her home in Beverly Hills, California, Alonso said she respects Penn as an actor, but hopes he "comes to his senses and he realizes that he's being used."

Too bad they don't give Oscars for integrity.

Update, Monday 6 August
Via Jeremayakovka, Sean's gun trouble



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Aloha. My name is Mr. Hand*

I wasn't planning on posting but this one just fell on my lap. Sean Penn's in Venezuela hob-nobbing with "villainously and criminally obscene people":


Sean Penn Praised by Venezuela's Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has praised Sean Penn for his critical stance against the war in Iraq, saying the two chatted by phone and soon plan to meet in person.

Chavez said Penn traveled to Venezuela this week wanting to learn more about the situation in the country and walked around some of Caracas' poor barrios on his own.

"Welcome to Venezuela, Mr. Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths," Chavez said Wednesday in a televised speech. "He's one of the greatest opponents of the Iraq invasion."

Chavez read aloud from a recent open letter by Penn to President Bush in which the actor condemned the Iraq war and called for Bush to be impeached, saying the president along with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are "villainously and criminally obscene people."

The socialist president, who shares those views, said he and Penn talked by phone _ "with my bad English but we understood each other more or less."

Chavez said the two plan to meet Thursday. He called the actor "well-informed about what is happening in the United States and the world, in spite of being in Hollywood."

What's more, Chavez said, "he's made great films." The Venezuelan leader said he recently watched Penn's Oscar-winning performance in the film "Mystic River."

For his part, Penn on Wednesday toured Venezuela's new film studios on the outskirts of Caracas. Penn, whose visit was unannounced, did not speak publicly.

*The title to this post refers to Mr Hand, the teacher played by Ray Walston in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. When Spicoli, Penn's character, orders a pizza delivered to the classroom,

Mr. Hand: Am I hallucinating here? Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?
Jeff Spicoli: Learning about Cuba, and having some food.

Hand takes the pizza and divides it among the students.

Update:
As it turns out, great minds think alike.