Dan Riehl notes that the first sources to report just happen to be Tehran papers and Al Jazeera.

Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, is heading for victory in a referendum on allowing him to remain in power as long as he keeps winning elections, two government-linked sources said citing exit polls.

Three exit polls showed Chavez won by between six and eight points in a vote where turnout was low, they told Reuters news agency.

If confirmed, the results would be by far the slimmest victory margin in the career of a man who wants to rule for life.

Most pre-vote opinion surveys predicted a close referendum on the raft of constitutional changes that the opposition and even some longtime former allies say are authoritarian.

An emboldened opposition and recent violent clashes during street protests have created fears of a potentially volatile dispute.

Picture from Salon’s The Devil’s Excrement, where there’s much more analysis.

Jimmy Carter, Cindy Sheehan, Danny Glover and the other useful idiots were unavailable for comment.