Clinton: Iran, Venezuela Ties Disturbing?

Hmmm, I don't get this one:

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday described Iranian and Chinese gains in Latin America as “disturbing”...

Clinton told Foreign Service officers at a State Department meeting, that the Bush administration’s efforts to isolate leaders from nations like Venezuela and Bolivia, only made them adopt “more negative” attitudes toward Washington, and receptive to other powers

“...If you look at gains particularly in Latin America that Iran is making and China is making, it is quite disturbing. They are building very strong economic and political connections with a lot of these leaders,” she said...

Highlighting those concerns, Iran and Venezuela yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation. Earlier this month, the two countries set up a joint bank, to finance their common development projects.

Clinton told diplomats and other State Department staff that Iran was building a “huge embassy” in Nicaragua’s capital, Managua. “And we can only imagine what it’s for,” she said...

In late January, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran of conducting “subversive activities” in Latin America.

Clinton said today that the new administration was exploring how to build better relations with Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Bolivia....

Question: If it's okay for Obama to build better relations with both Iran and Venezuela, and their respective leaders, why would Hillary Clinton object to Iran trying to build better relations with Venezuela?! "Iran does not pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union did", right? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a pretty swell fellow and so is Hugo Chavez! What's the big deal?

Conclusion: If you believe in the virtue of chumming up to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez, you can't suddenly object when these two leaders decide to chum it up with one another, can you? Not unless you happen to be a hypocrite, or a bit confused........