Hugo Chavez and the American Left

Alejandro Toledo has a must-see editorial in The New York Times today about Hugo Chavez and his continued antics in Venezuela. Chavez is now threatening to close all media outlets in Venezuela that dare to publish or air anything critical of this two-bit dictator.

Meanwhile, back in America, Chavez is still getting oodles of wonderful propaganda by the likes of Joe Kennedy, in actual television commercials, for his efforts to give free heating oil to folks in the Northeast.

Chavez is a thug. His model for governance is Fidel Castro, another thug. His view of freedom is simple: Do what I say and there won’t be any problems. He makes Tony Soprano look like a pacifist.

And yet, the American Left loves this guy. They love the way he helps the poor. They love the way he sticks it to President Bush. They love the way he hugs Castro.

He is their model for Latin American leadership.

On the other hand, the American Left hates a guy who stands up against narco-terrorism and fights communism. Colombia President Alvaro Uribe can’t get a meeting on Capitol Hill with congressional Democrats. He is America’s best friend in the region. He fights the war on drugs for us. He promotes democracy. He battles thugs like Hugo Chavez. But Nancy Pelosi and the hard-core left that make up the Democratic leadership in Congress won’t give him a helping hand.
In hand, they slap it away.

I am not sure if the American Left is simply naïve or something more nefarious.

With the death of communism, there is no romantic notion that can drive these dingbats into the arms of thugs like Hugo Chavez and slap away the hand of friendship of allies like Alvaro Uribe.

Can anybody help me understand the real motivations of the American Left?