Say Anything Blog

How can people like Penn be so stupid as to not recognize that Chavez latches on to them as a means to legitimize his dictatorship?  In much the same way the Soviet Union latched on to American socialists as a way of legitimizing their regime?

(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.

I wonder if Penn managed to ask Hugo why he’s spending money on new film studios, and why he’s giving Danny Glover tens of millions of dollars to make movies, while people in his country live in abject poverty?

Or why Hugo is expelling people from his country who voice political dissent against his regime?

Or why Hugo is seizing control of media outlets critical of his regime?  Or maybe even why Hugo banned all political parties but his own?

Sean Penn and the rest of the American left never cease to hatch new conspiracy theories about Bush silencing free speech and taking from the poor to give tot he rich.  And yet, with someone like Chavez, they give him a pass.  Because Chavez is a socialist and supports nationalized health care and stuff, I guess.