The question in this title may seem strange, but there is actually a very strong coincidence. A coworker of mine went last week to Chile to participate in the Pucon half Ironman triathlon, which took place on the same day as Chavez’ sexist remarks about Condoleezza Rice. Since Sunday, I have been trying to find news in the international press about both events, with very limited success.
In the case of the triathlon I was trying to find out how well she did in her category (over 40, ladies) which was never reported by the official website. But so far, I have only found one report in the international press, which is an Australian site reporting on the failure of one of their countryman to win the event. By the way, I did find out through the grapevine that my friend came in third, only a minute away from the leader in her category, but it still has not been reported anywhere in the international press.
The same can be said of Chavez’ sexist remarks about Condoleezza Rice that day. I have been searching the international news with very little success, which was surprising to me given the sexist nature of his remarks and the sensitivity of the world press to such attitudes. To my surprise, this is the only link I have been able to find (actually someone posted it in the comments!) to the story in any major newspaper and it is actually quite short on that particular subject:
“There are some subjects that most presidents would avoid when speaking in public about an adversary, no matter the circumstances. But Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has once again proven he’s no ordinary president. Just days after U.S. Secretary of State-nominee Condoleezza Rice said at her senate confirmation hearings that Chavez was “a negative force in the region,” he suggested she needed the type of companionship he could not satisfy. “I will not make that sacrifice for my country,” he told a rally Sunday.
Crudeness aside, Chavez’ comments underscored just how low U.S.-Venezuelan relations have dropped amid recent Washington complaints that his government is harboring leftist guerrillas from neighboring Colombia.”
The report is actually quite bland, compared to how offensive I think Chavez’ remarks were, but what really surprised me is that the writer failed to make a pun when he or she wrote: “But Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has once again proven he’s no ordinary president”.
It’s actually the opposite; his remarks show how truly ordinary Chavez actually is.
The Devil's Excrement 
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