Is Hugo Chávez Mr. Misunderstood?

He roams Latin America, hurling insults at President Bush, sneering at the United States as the enemy "empire" and spending billions in oil money to undermine Washington wherever he can.

To many Americans, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez seems a Latin wild man. But to the millions of Venezuelans who adore him, he is the first leader who genuinely cares for the nation's poor majority, a welcome departure from politicians who traditionally catered to the elite.

"I think God sent him. I think he's the reincarnation of Simón Bolívar. He's with the poor," says Omaira Perez, 60, referring to the 19th century general who liberated Venezuela from Spanish rule.

This larger-than-life figure may, however, be more vulnerable than he appears. There are early signs that Chávez, even as he dominates regional politics, is losing ground at home and elsewhere in Latin America.

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