Everybody I’ve talked to the last couple of days is understandably bewildered and upset at Joe Biden’s advice on traveling and the Swine flue Panicdemic.

Nobody is talking about an equally disturbing statement by our Secretary of State. That’s probably because it’s not publicized by a media which either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care or worse.

According to this Reuter’s article in the Washington Post, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, clarified the new US foreign policy towards tyrants ([c]astro), tyrant wannabe’s, (Chavez and Ortega), and tyrants in training, (Morales and Correa):

Clinton said on Friday the new administration wanted to build closer ties with Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia that are governed by leftist leaders critical of Washington.

Clinton said she was worried that Bush administration policies of isolating leaders from those countries and supporting opposition groups had allowed China, Russia and Iran to make inroads into the region.

So I guess that Ms. Clinton is proposing that we compete for the affection of tyrants, dictators and oppressors and turn our backs on the democracy advocates and the oppressed in Latin America, (and elsewhere.)

 This from the same crowd that claims that aggressive interrogation techniques and the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention camp are in conflict wit America’s values?

 These two positions may seem at odds with each other at first , but they’re not.

 Both are about appeasing and trying to win the affection of our enemies. They also signal that America’s core, self evident values of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness are negotiable and relative to the circumstances.

 The response from Caracas was predictable, with Chavez telling Obama that if he really wanted to be his friend, he would end the embargo on his BFF [f]idel-who, by the way, is only friends with Hugo because Hugo gives him Venezuela’s lunch money.

 "If President Obama does not dismantle this savage blockade of the Cuban people, then it is all a lie, it will all be a great farce and the U.S. empire will be alive and well, threatening us," Chavez said.

 (Sounds like a bizzaro world version of Reagan asking “Mr. Gorbashev to tear down this wall”)

So is the new blueprint for America’s foreign policy in Latin America  to give more support the leftist, (synonymous with tyrannical), regimes than the leftist, (synonymous with tyrannical), regimes of China, Russia and Iraq so they "like" us more? Good luck with that!

 No wonder the press focuses on Gaffin’ Joe Biden!