For years now it has been a talking point of the left to deny the obvious

For years now it has been a talking point of the left to deny the obvious, that Hugo Chavez is a Communist. To apologists, Chavez is a beleaguered man of the people falsely condemed by the American diplomatic community and its tools. Using excoriation as their tool, leftist sheets have gone so far as to claim the very suggestion of Communism is "ludicrous." Praised by 'progressives' the world over, from the studious Noam Chomsky to the insipid Cindy Sheehan, Chavez's radical diatribes are ignored or glossed over by his fringe admirers. For those with eyes to see however, it is all too clear where Comrade Hugo is coming from.

During a much publicized 2008 visit to Beijing, Chavez declared in no uncertain terms: "I am a Maoist." The Venezuelan strongman was in the PRC to cement closer energy ties and to purchase 24 Chinese K-8 trainer jets which can potentially be used as attack aircraft. Praising the Communist Chinese as a countervailing force to what he dubs the "American Empire," Chavez enthused that "we are offering tribute in the land of Mao."

Earlier, during a discussion announcing his "socialist cities" initiative, which critics have likened to the resettlement policies of Pol Pot, Chavez huffed: "Those of you who want to know what type of socialism I have planned for Venezuela should read Marx and Lenin." As if this wasn't enough, he declared himself a Trotskyist too.

All of this may come as something of a shock to those who remember this man claiming he was a non-Marxist in the 90's, but then it could be that Chavez is consciously emulating the path of Fidel Castro, a tyrant he has expressed admiration for on more than one occasion. In the 1950's the conventional wisdom was that Castro wasn't a commie, either, and he gleefully played the game; until after he was firmly entrenched in power that is.

As if to inform any that weren't paying attention until recently, Chavez again recently again reiterated his fealty for Communism. Stating "I am a Marxist," he this time made the claim that he shares this distinction with Jesus Christ. Speaking before the national assembly on January 16, 2010 Chavez exhorted, "Who can imagine Christ as a capitalist? Christ was more radical than any of us. It was He who said - 'it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.'"

Ultimately though this issue transcends the willful ignorance of Chavez's admirers. The larger point is that US policy elites, who in the wake of 9-11 have allowed the rising red ride in Latin American to fester almost uninhibited, have exhibited a dangerous lack of competence in dealing with what is quite frankly a looming menace developing in America's hemisphere. Concerned Americans will demand that their elected officials stop acting as if they are asleep at the switch.