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Shortly after Hugo Chávez won his first election as Venezuelan president in December 1998, a lawyer from the western state of Barinas, which was then governed by Chávez's father, delivered a prescient warning to Newsweek magazine: "Venezuelans are dreaming of a savior, but Chávez is a dictator. People don't know what they are getting."  More than 14 years later, a cancer-stricken Chávez is reportedly near death, but his autocratic legacy is very much alive. Venezuela long ago ceased to be a real democracy: The ruling regime effectively controls the Supreme Court (which in 2004 was expanded and packed with Chávez allies), the National Assembly...

So does a $170 million price tag buy you the bestest inauguration ceremony in the history of these United States of America? Surprisingly, no. It was a day of mediocrity and mess-ups. Here's an example: Ironically, Rev. Rick Warren was supposed to be “the designated bigot” but his invocation was uplifting, awe-inspiring – and joyous ... Now consider by way of comparison Rev. Joseph Lowery's anachronistic and racially divisive benediction: God of our weary years, god of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the...

Yep - January 20 sounds like the date Clear Channel's planning to "do it." Yes, that is also Inauguration Day, and I'm again saying that it appears to be the day Clear Channel managers are instructed to take whatever personnel actions they're going to. That's what they were told at last week's managers meetings in Dallas. Now - could that change, with an audible from San Antonio? Sure. But I'm increasingly confident that those personalized jump drives the market managers were handed contain the road map for what they're supposed to do on January 20. That presumably would mean the...

We had a sneak pic of the gowns Michelle Obama’s might wear on Inauguration Day, and now we have sketches of Barack Obama’s clothing. Though it’s a known fact that Obama will attire himself in a Hart Schaffner Marx single-button, notch-lapel tuxedo for the evening festivities on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, that didn’t stop WWD from asking men’s designers what they thought the new president should wear on his historic day. While most designers offered classic tuxedos, Savile Row’s Richard James pushed the envelope with a sequined tuxedo jacket. Obama in a sequined tuxedo jacket would have created a stir!

Designers like Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera, Marc Jacobs, Chado Ralph Rucci, Christian Lacroix, Diane Von Furstenberg, Isaac Mizrahi, Karl Lagerfeld, Oscar de la Renta, Rodarte and Zac Posen all submitted their sketches of the gown that Michelle Obama should wear at her husband’s inauguration. We really envy Miss Obama, as every submitted sketch is a perfection. Oscar de la Renta Christian Lacroix

55th Inauguration And Day's Events - Live Thread

January 19, 2005 ABC News: Too Lazy To Hide The Bias Hindrocket at Power Line found a new ABC initiative to bring balance to its news broadcasts, or at least those they intend to provide on Inauguration Day tomorrow. Obviously, the Halperin Memo is still in effect even past Election Day: For a possible Inauguration Day story on ABC News, we are trying to find out if there any military funerals for Iraq war casualties scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20. If you know of a funeral and whether the family might be willing to talk to ABC News, please fill...

"NOT ONE DAMN DIME DAY Since our leaders don't have the moral courage to speak out against the war in Iraq, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending. During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus...

There is, though, a language that they understand, and it's one that you speak: The language of dollars. The dollars they make from your purchases, the dollars they make from your labor, and the dollars that flow into federal coffers when you pay your taxes. Your dollars are their power. The more of your dollars you give to them, the more power they have. Conversely, the more you keep for yourself, the more power you have. It's that simple.

This DUmmie THREAD was originally posted yesterday so the premise posed in the title, “One Week from Today, It's Going to Hurt Real Bad....” is referring to Inauguration Day. It is VERY INTERESTING to read the DUmmie responses and, again, I remind them of the Suicide Hotline Number: 1-800-BUSH-WON. As usual, the grieving DUmmie mournings are in Bolshevik Red while the commentary of your humble correspondent, freezing on the inauguration parade bleachers, is in the [brackets]: One Week from Today, It's Going to Hurt Real Bad....Let's face it: on Inauguration Day, it's gonna hurt real bad to see the...

Shortly after the 45-minute ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol, the new governor delivered on that promise, issuing Executive Order 1, which repealed the $4-billion increase that had been approved by the man he replaced — Gray Davis. It was the first of a series of rapid-fire actions meant to draw a clear contrast with a Davis administration renowned for its caution. Schwarzenegger issued proclamations to convene a trio of special sessions of the Legislature aimed at overturning a new law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, cutting workers' compensation costs and capping state spending. In...

HOWDY FOLKS - THIS IS THE OFFICIAL ARNOLD INAUGURATION DAY LIVE THREAD. PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS HERE BEGINNING AT 10:00 AM SHARP. THANKS

Wilson agreed with Brown that Schwarzenegger had made a good start toward toning down the partisanship in Sacramento. But, he said, the onus is now on Democrats in the Legislature to cooperate with the new administration. If they don't, he said, Schwarzenegger should follow through on threats to use the initiative process to bring issues directly to the voters. "He really has no alternative," Wilson said. "But I think there are a number of Democrats who are, as they should be, impressed by the magnitude of his victory. I mean, I think there is a pretty clear lesson." Wilson said...

Schwarzenegger is planning to repeal the $4-billion car tax increase within hours of taking office — something he can do by direct executive action. He is to call a special legislative session beginning Tuesday, demonstrating that he is wasting no time before getting down to work. One of the issues he wants lawmakers to take up this week is repealing a new law that enables illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. The measure, SB 60, was signed in the thick of the recall campaign, and Davis' critics charge that he approved it to bolster support among Latino voters. Democratic support...

At 11 a.m. today, Arnold Schwarzenegger will place his hand on a Bible and take the oath of office as California's 38th governor. It will be a simple, no-frills ceremony, his advisors say. All right, so there will be a few brass bands. Seven thousand or so invited guests. A five-story camera riser groaning with the weight of an international press corps. Live, national television coverage. A flotilla of satellite trucks. Every living former governor of California, with the sole exception of Ronald Reagan. Both houses of the Legislature. A Hollywood contingent expected to include Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis,...