THIS DOESN'T MAKE GOOD TV – AT 9:40 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton attended the inauguration of Brazil's new president, former Marxist guerrilla Dilma Rousseff.  And who does Clinton run into?  Why, Hugo Chavez, thug-in-chief from Venezuela, a man who recently took dictatorial powers on himself.

There's a picture going around the internet showing Clinton and Chavez, with Clinton shaking Chavez's hand and smiling broadly:

Despite a simmering diplomatic row, President Hugo Chavez and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were seen having a brief, friendly chat Saturday at the inauguration of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff.
"They talked and smiled, at least for five minutes. It looked like a social conversation, both were smiling," a Brazilian official who witnessed the encounter told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The encounter came only three days after the United States revoked the visa of Venezuela's ambassador in Washington, in reprisal for Chavez's rejection of the US president's appointed ambassador to Caracas.

But Chavez and Clinton were all smiles as they mingled with the presidents of Chile and Colombia and the prime minister of Portugal while waiting to meet Rousseff.

At one point, Chavez extended his hand to Clinton, who shook it, smiling. They chatted for a few minutes before moving on to formally greeting Rousseff.

There were no reports on what was said between them.

Chavez on Tuesday reaffirmed his decision to reject diplomat Larry Palmer as President Barack Obama's ambassador-designate to Caracas, and challenged Washington to break off diplomatic relations if it didn't like it.

The State Department responded the following day by revoking the visa of Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez, who was in Venezuela on vacation.

Big mistake.

Yes, yes, I know, it's diplomacy.  But the Obama administration has a history of insulting American allies and appeasing our enemies.  You'd think Clinton, no fool, would understand the appearances of that picture.  There was no need to smile, or even be gracious.  A simple "hello" would have been fine.

Once again, the image of weakness is reinforced.  Contrast please with the rude treatment that Obama gave British Prime Minister Brown and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

As they say, the whole world is watching.

January 3, 2011