Hugo Chavez

Who knew supermodel Naomi Campbell, a relatively new contributing editor at British GQ, would land the Latin-America beat? For her first interview, Ms. Campbell sat down with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez—but that, it now seems, was just the beginning.

Next up: a meeting with Fidel Castro, the increasingly reclusive aging leader of Cuba, which is in the works, according to WWD. (She’s already met the bearded bad boy, back in the 90s.) While she waits to firm up the details on that particular têt-à-têt, Ms. Campbell is working on securing a chitchat with Argentina’s newly elected female president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Considering rumors that the British-born phone-flinging fashionista began a love affair with Mr. Chavez following their meeting, her M.O., the fashion paper suggests, could be to help realize the politico’s vision for a united South America. All this comes, too, at a time when U.S. relations are becoming increasingly strained with Argentina.  read more »

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, British GQ’s new contributing editor, kicked things off at the magazine by interviewing Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. In the four-page interview, Mr. Chavez talks about his fears that President George W. Bush wants to kill him, his dream to unite South America by 2020 and how the world is currently watching America’s decline.

Ms. Campbell does manage to keep the interview—which will appear in the February issue, on newsstands this Thursday—upbeat overall, reports WWD. Among other things, Ms. Campbell’s introduction reveals Mr. Chavez’s love for singing. “If he wasn’t the president, he’d be a very successful Latin singer,” writes Ms. Campbell, who calls the South American politico a “rebel angel,” later adding that of all the world’s leaders, Mr. Chavez thinks Fidel Castro is the most stylish. “[H]is uniform is impeccable … and his beard is elegant,” he says.

Sean Penn had hardly ventured into the wild when he delivered his recent speech at San Francisco State University, but the local elements were fierce nonetheless. Just before he had made his sentiments completely clear for the audience, a member of the school’s student Republican organization stood up, faced the rest of the crowd and held up protest signs. Then, a supporter of presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich confronted the protester mano-y-mano. (Gusty on both counts!)

Mr. Penn’s diatribe, which can be read in-full here, addresses all manner of political topics—from President George W. Bush’s “great enemy in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez,” to Hillary Clinton. Near the end of the 2,000-word speech, around the time he was interrupted, he asks his listeners to approach the senator from New York warily. “Let's remind our friends in the social circles of New York and the highbrow winner-friendly and monied major cities that support Mrs. Clinton, that this is not Bill Clinton,” the actor says, moments later adding: “[D]on't underestimate personal agendas, those that initiated NAFTA, betrayed Haitian refugees and gay rights in the military within a minute of his own election. Don't underestimate that part of him when he gives his wife the face of his talent.”

Last night, Barbara Walters’ much anticipated The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007 aired on ABC. Before viewers got a chance to assess the lineup, Ms. Walters said that she was going to avoid any “tabloid stuff.” And she did…sort of. As promised, Bill Clinton, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Don Imus were all in fact honored. But so, too, were Victoria and David Beckham, who were asked to dish on their much-publicized friendship with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. (Even Bill O’Reilly asked Ms. Walters “Why? Why? Why?” after learning that Posh ‘n’ Becks would be featured on her program.) Then came Justin Timberlake. The former ‘N Sync pop singer told the television journalist, among other things, about his romance with Hollywood starlet Jessica Biel—also a topic touched upon a time or two in, well, the tabloids. Katherine Heigl, who called her recent hit film, Knocked Up, “sexist,” was also on Ms. Walters’ short list. From Heigl, the former 20/20 anchor learned that the actress is not happy that her Grey’s Anatomy co-star was fired after he slung homophobic slurs at T.R. Knight.

Barbara Walters is sick and tired of tabloid journalism. Even though the venerable co-host of The View has been criticized, especially over the last few years, for conducting “soft” interviews with people like Michael Jackson and Monica Lewinsky, she wants to put an end to it here and now. Acknowledging that her stint on 20/20 may have actually spawned the current, frenzied climate of paparazzi-driven celebrity journalism, Ms. Walters said: “We began to do more and more celebrities and we were criticized,” she continued, “And now ... every program does it." But when her annual The 10 Most Fascinating People airs tonight on ABC, the matronly journalist will reportedly look beyond messy stars like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. “I am not going after the tabloid stuff, I don’t do it,” Ms. Walters, 78, said, before adding that she wants no part in the “week in, week out, competition for getting the next name, the next person out of rehab.” Instead of Lindsay Lohan, her viewers can expect to see Bill Clinton, Hugo Chavez, two founders of MySpace and Don Imus.

Another Hillary update from Niall Stanage:

Hillary Clinton's campaign swing through Iowa brought her to a biotech company on the outskirts of Des Moines this morning - and brought Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez unexpectedly into her crosshairs.

The first question she received after a speech to employees of the Pioneer Hi-Bred International facility in Johnston raised the issue of the Chavez government. The former first lady assailed the Venezuelan president for fomenting "anti-Americanism across Latin America" and returned, in unusually personal terms, to one of the themes of her speech - how energy independence could prevent the transfer of American dollars to anti-American regimes.  read more »

"My late father was a child of the depression and he never left a room without turning out every light. Well, now I go around turning out the lights," she said.

"If we said, 'Turn off that light because we don't want to send any more money to Chavez in Venezuela,' that would make a difference."

A reader notes that Sequoia, a company under investigation by the federal government because of it's ties to Venezaualian President Hugo Chavez, is trying to supply voting machines in New York.

The Executive Director of the state's Board of Elections, John Ravitz, confirmed in an email that, "Sequoia has sent both their DRE and Opscan machines to the State Board of Elections for certification."

Just one more scandal storyline to follow.

-- Azi Paybarah

Anyone else feel like Hugo Chavez is getting a bad rap?

Andrew Friedman of the Drum Major Institute comes to the defense of the Venezuelan leader, who was called "a barbarian" by Governor George Pataki and "a thug" by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

"What, precisely, is thuggish or barbarian about him? Leftist politics or provocative rhetoric do not make a thug. A thug is a thief or a bully. And, in fact, it was the gentile upper class in Venezuela, Chavez's opponents and America's steadfast allies, that tried to steal the presidency from President Chavez by force."

-- Azi Paybarah

When is the last time the New York Times did major stories on Noam Chomsky two days in a row, one jumping off the front page, and excerpted his work? Like... never.

Let's understand what's going on. All the American politicians may be denouncing Hugo Chavez, but he's gotten into the water supply. His Diablo speech was a big moment, and actually successful, in a way that so many other gestures the right wants to dismiss as the U.N. Follies have not been. Because his ideas have resonance in the United States. A few leftwing friends have grinned, telling me how much they liked what Chavez said. The resonance springs from a problem only the left has grappled with so far: the U.S. is losing moral legitimacy, globally. And as Chris Matthews pointed out on Hardball, Chavez wasn't afraid of Bush. He made fun of him, in his house. Made him look weak. If Chavez was a monkey, then how come Chomsky's #1 on Amazon?

There's an old rule in journalism you're are supposed to have three examples when you posit a trend. I've just got two, Chavez and Chomsky. But the writing's on the wall: The left is back. The Iraq effect is finally happening; you can finally get something beside a lump of coal for the position: I was against this stupid war because I thought it would hurt America and the Middle East. The political establishment/ media has held out against the news for as long as they could, now Hugo Chavez is putting it on the front page.

(Is this analysis self-serving? Well, yeah. Is it correct? We shall see...)

Charlie Rangel, who has been around long enough to see just about everything, finds himself on unfamiliar turf today, defending President Bush from the colorful criticisms of Hugo Chavez in his presentation to the U.N.

Among other things the ever-quotable Rangel said:

You don't come into my county, you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president. If there is any criticism of the president, it should be restricted to Americans...Are there any questions? I've said it all.

It's actually smart politics. Which may be why Nancy Pelosi is also going after Chavez, who comes across to most Americans more as a pro-wrestling heel than a world leader, in what looks like a suspiciously concerted effort by the Democrats to score easy patriotism points.

Not that Rangel, a decorated veteran, particularly has anything to prove in that department.

Watch his remarkable performance here.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

For readers whose life under Code Orange wasn't nerve-jangling enough, this week the New York Post u  read more »