The Chavez show in Brazil

Well, maybe Brazil inaugurated a new president yesterday but in chavistadom the news was of Hillary Clinton shaking hands with Chavez.

Amused Santos, eeked! Clinton, shocked Piñera and Trinidad's "payaso"

Now, a lot of tall tales seem to be sown here and there but form the picture above we can see a few clear things that cannot be hidden, at least to everyone that has a vague idea of what body language stands for.

Santos knows Chavez first hand and he knows how far in his clownishness this one will go to score a point valid at home (Santos also knows that Chavez does not care much anymore about points he may score for the foreign peanut gallery, too much trouble in Caracas to worry about that).  In other words, Santos "been there, done that, hated it" moment is in the past and he is checking out the other three guys.

Hillary is of course the Secretary of State and she has been kissing enough frogs for the past 2 years that she will kiss that one too.  But her face is a poem of surprise and disgust although she recomposes herself real quick.  I was impressed at how quick, by the way.  Whatever it is they say from the right, Hillary clearly looks like the entrapped one in this picture.

Piñera is in shock.  He cannot believe what is going on, and possibly the rudeness that came before the scene and that cameras may have missed.  He looks at the hands, wondering is Clinton will shake it after all.  She will, of course, she has been around the block but we can understand Piñera moment of doubt.

As for the "payaso" according to Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad (see wikileaks), he is doing his show, oblivious of any ridicule he may encounter.  After all he needs to prove to the world that it is the US that is threatening to break with Chavez and not the other way around.  This is of course solely for at home chavista consumption as outside of Venezuela the dice have rolled long ago.  So he sports a fixed smiling grimace that looks more like the spoiled brat that got away with a nasty trick than the responsible statesman that brought peace to two countries (though that faciès is better seen in other pictures that I will not bother posting).  The left can say whatever it wants, we know better now.

But of the four of them I am sure that Santos had the better moment, as in "see Hillary, I get no respect from you and your stupid democrats and trade unions blocking my FTA treaty with you.  That is what you get in return, bitch!  Deal with him too! Mwahahahahah!"