No Changing His Stripes

By Jeninne Lee-St. John

WHEN EVO MORALES WAS elected Bolivia's President last month, his Socialist leanings set off alarms in the U.S. But on a tour that took him to nine nations--many led by fellow leftists--before his Jan. 22 inauguration, it wasn't his policies but his alpaca-wool pullover that had observers seeing red.

SPAIN After the sweater's global debut at a Jan. 4 meeting with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a horrified Spanish columnist asked, "Is there no one who might lend Mr. Morales a dark suit?"

CHINA On Jan. 9 in Beijing, Morales paired the pullover with a leather jacket. He and Chinese President Hu Jintao discussed trade, nationalization of oil and, perhaps, how to pack lightly.

SOUTH AFRICA Of course he wore it in the rainbow nation! It may be summer there, but the sweater for all seasons reappeared on Jan. 11 for a visit with President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria.