To Chavez, With Love

[Valin]

WSJ:

Oliver Stone's mash note to the dictators of Latin America.
RON RADOSH

The red carpet was rolled out this Wednesday night for director Oliver Stone at the premiere of his new documentary, "South of the Border," at the Silverdocs Film Festival in Silver Spring, Md.

Mr. Stone told the enthusiastic crowd that his intent in making the film was to correct Americans' negative view of the Latin American left, particularly of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez. Americans, Mr. Stone said following the screening, "have a false view of these countries, as they do of Saddam Hussein, Iran and any country that crosses our path."

In "South of the Border," Mr. Chávez is portrayed as a hero, a humble man of the people dedicated to elevating the poor who have democratically elected him time and again. The villains are all the usual suspects: capitalists and local oligarchies that are slaves to foreign interests, the Western press, the International Monetary Fund, and, of course, George W. Bush. Both the subject and the filmmaker had high hopes for Barack Obama, who is shown near the end of the film warmly shaking Mr. Chávez's hand......(Snip)

OTOH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I35zpx4-Zg