Citizen Pinochet Takes the Heat

VALPARAISO, Chile: If you're a former dictator who is held responsible for thousands of deaths and disappearances, you ought to be careful what you wish for. Case in point: General Augusto Pinochet, who Wednesday took up the lifetime Senate seat he'd engineered for himself by rewriting the country's constitution -- and immediately got a taste of civilian politics. Opposition legislators taunted him with pictures of some of those murdered or "disappeared" under his regime, and there was a shout of "Assassin!" as he was sworn in. Novel experiences for a man whose opponents risked torture and death for standing up to him during his 17 years in power. Welcome to democracy, General.