This is a photo I took of Evo Morales in his office holding a soccer shirt someone gave him in front of a picture of Che made out of coca leaves. I was holding it til the Toronto Star printed my piece but it looks like the Middle East crisis is holding it off even longer. Stories of misery and crisis always trump stories of hope.

This is the room where Evo meets the media.

I am in Sucre now for the opening of the Constituent Assembly on Sunday. I am on my own now without a translator. My Spanish comprehension is pretty good but I need more practice speaking so this should be good.

I spent one day in Santa Cruz the heart of the opposition to Evo so naturally I am hearing more criticism. The main one is that Evo still acts like a trade union leader even though he is President. For example, at the rally on agrarian revolution he said that the Parliament might have to close if they don´t pass the draft law expropriating unproductive land. The right wing media is having a field day accusing him of authoritarianism and his press secretary is saying he didn´t really mean it. Politics, Bolivia style.