Hugo Comes Alive

Is he officially beyond parody yet? Hugo Chavez goes all Cornel West on his subjects:

President Hugo Chavez has released a CD of traditional Venezuelan folk music that features him singing, and which will be distributed free inside the country, presidential sources said.

The CD, titled "Canciones de Siempre" which roughly translates to "Songs For All Time," includes tunes that Chavez has sung during his regular Sunday "Hello, President" television and radio program.

At the close of each broadcast, Chavez regularly sings folk songs along with guest musicians and dancers.

Sources close to Chavez said the CD will be available free in Venezuela.

In other Bolivarian news, Venezuelan blogger Miguel Octavio reports that Sunday was "a bad day for democracy and rights" in his country, with the government ignoring a court injunction and expropriating park land, threatening to shut down private hospitals and private schools, and removing an opposition banner from the side of a Caracas highway.

I dunno Miguel, sounds like a pretty ordinary day in Chavezland to me.