Reconciliations

Chavez Restores Ambassador to U.S.

Obama's soft diplomacy yields results.

Hugo Chavez is ready, once again, to deal with the devil. The bombastic president of Venezuela, who has compared the U.S. to Satan on numerous occasions, pledged to restore his ambassador to the U.S. after meeting and shaking hands with Barack Obama. The 2009 Summit of the Americas will likely be remembered for a remarkable change in tone in regards to Latin America, as Obama frankly acknowledged U.S. "heavy-handedness" towards the region, as well as the possibility of an improvement in relations with Cuba. The State Department praised Chavez's decision as "a positive development." One expert told The Washington Post that the former Venezuelan soldier may have been left with little choice, given Obama's popularity abroad. "He can still criticize U.S. policy, but it is much more difficult to criticize Obama the man."