Former Marxist Guerilla Sworn In As President Of Brazil

From The Audacity of Hypocrisy:

Former Marxist guerrilla sworn in as president of Brazilfrom Audacity Of Hypocrisy by admin…former Marxist guerrilla Dilma Rousseff was sworn in Saturday as Brazil’s first female president and faced two immediate tasks: keeping the booming economy on track and fleshing out Brazil’s developing role on the world stage.




Rousseff, 63, took office with big shoes to fill: those of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who leaves Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia with an 87% approval rating, the highest in recent history for a departing leader of South America’s largest and most populous nation.



The new president hopes to maintain the economic momentum that was the key to Lula’s power and popularity while advancing the Workers Party social agenda of reducing poverty, attracting foreign investment to create jobs and taking greater control of natural resources.



…Rousseff takes office as relations with the United States are in state of flux. The Obama administration was displeased with Lula’s attempt last year to broker a deal with Iran that would resolve international tensions over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.



Still, President Obama admired Lula and at least publicly professed satisfaction with Brazil’s growing regional clout.



Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Brasilia, the capital, to represent the United States at the inauguration. But significantly, Rousseff has said the first foreign leader she will meet with is leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.


And, from The American Spectator:

1:57 AM (8 minutes ago)Hillary & Hugo's Handshakefrom The American Spectator and AmSpecBlog by Aaron GoldsteinWhat is Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton doing shaking hands with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez? The two exchanged pleasantries in Brazil during the inauguration of its new President Dilma Rousseff.




The Obama Administration did the right thing a few days ago in revoking the visa of Venezuela's Ambassador to the U.S. after Chavez would not recognize President Obama's appointment of Larry Palmer as U.S. Permanent Representative in Caracas. Now if Chavez had reversed his decision and recognized Palmer one could argue that a handshake would be in order. But Hillary's handshake with Hugo sends the message that the Obama Administration isn't really all that angry with Chavez. I guess the Obama Administration reserves that kind of anger for the likes of Benjamin Netanyahu.



Yet you would have thought the Obama Administration would have learned its lesson. Despite President Obama referring to Chavez as his "mi amigo" nearly two years ago, Venezuela's mercurial leader has been as contemptuous of Obama as he was of President Bush. Meanwhile, Chavez has been getting very cozy with Iran. Last October, Chavez and Ahmadinejad pledged to unite and create a "new world order."



Needless to say, Hillary's handshake with Hugo does not inspire confidence and gets 2011 off to an inauspicious start.