He's the man who called George W. Bush "the devil himself" at the 2006 U.N. General Assembly session, joked with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about launching missiles at Washington, and sat for a famously flattering profile written by none other than Sean Penn.
To his detractors, Hugo Chávez is a clownish authoritarian, willfully pursuing policies bound to turn Venezuela an economic basket case (and giving away a house or two to his supporters along the way). But Chávez has always had a loyal following -- and not just in his own country -- who appreciate his willingness to stand up to the Washington consensus in his own colorful fashion, and who see him as a consistent champion of the poor and downtrodden.
But now, with Venezuela on the brink of elections, Chávez faces his first viable political challenge in years. Will 2012 see the last of Venezuela's fiery leader? With this possibility in mind, here's a brief look at the history of Chávez and his Bolivarian Revolution.
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