CHAVEZ PREPARES - AT 7:18 A.M. ET:  If you don't think President Obama looks vulnerable in the eyes of America's opponents, consider this:

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that he is preparing plenty of verbal "artillery" for his first encounter with President Barack Obama at an upcoming summit.

Chavez — long a fierce critic of Washington — said he expects that the future of U.S. relations with Latin America will begin to take shape at April's summit of leaders from across the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

"Our artillery is being prepared. There's going to be good artillery," Chavez said during a televised Cabinet meeting.

"What will Mr. Obama come with? I don't know. We're going to see. We'll see what the pitcher throws," Chavez said.

COMMENT:  I'd also be interested to see what the pitcher throws.  So far, his administration has thrown a series of softballs, all over the world.  My Iranian friend, Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, refers me to an article by Amir Tahari that's headlined, PRODUCING PANIC IN AMERICA'S ALLIES, relating the early adventures in Obama foreign policy.  It begins:

THE Obama administration has offered to talk to America's enemies across the globe, especially in the Middle East. So far, though, the offer has few takers.

Iran has called for "substantial changes in US foreign policy" as a precondition for talks. Syria wants the US to shut down the UN investigation into the murder of Lebanese ex-Premier Rafiq Hariri and insists on reviving its domination of Lebanon before "substantive talks" with Washington. The Taliban insists on "the complete withdrawal of foreign troops" from Afghanistan before it will consider talks.

Welcome, as they say, to the real world.  Mr. Obama must choose his words wisely in dealing with Chavez.  He should take his teleprompter.  But, of course, he always does.

March 18, 2009