Ballenger/Chavez: The Odd Couple

Churchgoing Republican befriends Venezuela's radical president

WASHINGTON -- They are a political odd couple: Cass Ballenger, a conservative Republican congressman from North Carolina, and Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's mercurial, left-leaning president.

Their acquaintance began not long after Chavez's 1998 election as president. They've met or talked up to 25 times, by Ballenger's estimate. In the spring of 2001, Chavez showed up at Ballenger's western North Carolina home in Hickory with most of his cabinet.

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