Challenging Chavez...Is He Joking?

Hugo Chavez has a new challenger in the upcoming presidential election, and no one's taking him seriously. But that shouldn't bother Benjamin Rausseo, a shoeshiner-turned-comedian who declared his candidacy on Friday. After all, people have been laughing at him all his life.

Running without any apparent qualifications but plenty of name recognition, Mr. Rausseo<!--StartFragment --> has slim hopes of winning.  But if nothing else, he'll add some humor to what is likely to be a humorless (and less-than-fair) race.  And even if he fails miserably, he can always go back to the funny business.

We're both ugly, we both have kinky hair, we both come from the lower class--but the difference is I live here in Venezuela"--candidate Benjamin Rausseo, alluding to Chavez' frequent trips abroad