- WASHINGTON: The State Department is rejecting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's joking suggestion that Washington consider naming film director Oliver Stone or actor Sean Penn as the next US ambassador to Caracas.
Both Stone and Penn have visited Venezuela and have expressed admiration for the leftist president. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Wednesday that the Obama administration has not dropped support for its original candidate, Larry Palmer, whom Chavez has refused to accept. On Monday, Crowley indicated that the administration was considering nominating someone else for the Caracas post, in light of Chavez's stance against Palmer. But on Wednesday, Crowley said the US still thinks Palmer is the best choice and that there is no active search for another candidate.