Who's hot? Who's not?

HOT: Hugo Chávez (Venezuela)

Caracas caudillo Hugo Chávez is licking his lips at his impending victory over his hated enemy, Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) on May 27th. Yeah, the proles are protesting because they love their telenovelas, and they certainly aren't particularly fond of watching pro-Chávez propaganda on every television channel. So what? Are any of them ruling Venezuela? No? I thought not. Let them eat cadenas!

The tighter Hugo squeezes his subjects, the more the foreign left swoons in approval. He's on a winning streak with no end in sight.


Not Hot: Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan)

It's hard not to feel bad for the poor general, because I never seem to have any good news about him. Which is fair, because frankly, nothing has gone right for Pervez Musharraf for the past few years now. In fact, this entire Hot or Not? segment leads us all to experience some serious deja vu.

What's the latest in bad news for Pakistan's brasshat dictator? How about a wildly successful public speaking tour by his one of his most devoted political enemies, a Supreme Court judge he himself removed from the bench, and a Taliban presence in his own country that he cannot control, no matter how hard he tries? Why even today, even his allies in Britain are getting snarky with him.

How bad is it, really? Even Indian newspaper columnists are starting to feel sorry for him, and everyone agrees he's a goner. The biggest question remaining is: how long can he hold on? He's never been the type to rule with an iron fist, and when push comes to shove, he'll go careening into the dustbin of deposed Pakistani dictators.