(wap) (ATTN: National editors)

//I'm With Hugo// (Washn)

By Al Kamen

(c) 2008, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- All these movie and television stars -- including Ben Affleck, Colin Firth and Jenny McCarthy -- are coming to town Saturday for the annual black-tie White House correspondents' dinner, the last one featuring President Bush. And the Washington Post's invited guest? New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, more lately known as Judas amongst Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters for his backing of Barack Obama.

But Richardson just stiffed us to go hang with none other than Venezuelan troublemaker Hugo Chavez. Was he just jealous of former president Jimmy Carter's much-publicized meetings with Hamas?

No, a Richardson aide explained this week, he's going on a humanitarian mission to try to get Colombian guerrillas to release three Americans who have been held hostage since 2003. The hostages' families had engaged Richardson, who has a history of meeting bad guys -- Saddam Hussein, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, North Korean generals and Fidel Castro -- to secure prisoner releases. A few months ago, Chavez helped broker a release of six Colombians, and Richardson figured it would be worth consulting with him on what steps to take.

He's also planning to meet with U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy and other political folks down there who've had a role in the Colombian peace process. He's allegedly leaving Friday and coming back on Sunday, thereby missing Bush and late night talk show host Craig Ferguson.

There was some reason this mission couldn't happen Monday? Did we mention Pamela Anderson?