JESSE JACKSON SUPPORTS HUGO CHAVEZ. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, HE'LL BE COZYING UP TO JIMMY CARTER.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson offered support for President Hugo Chavez on Sunday, saying a call for his assassination by a U.S. religious broadcaster was a criminal act and that Washington and Venezuela should work out their differences through diplomacy.

The U.S. civil rights leader condemned last week's suggestion by Pat Robertson that American agents should kill the leftist Venezuelan leader, calling the conservative commentator's statements "immoral" and "illegal." MORE