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With dictators on the rise, democracy under assault and foreign powers making inroads in Latin America, it's not clear the Obama administration has a plan for dealing with it - other than more of its “Have a Coke and a Smile” brand of foreign policy.

Unfortunately, considering the challenges we're facing, relaxed soft-drink diplomacy just isn't going to cut it.

Topping the list is Venezuela, a major thorn in our side for some time now, but which has, remarkably, only gotten worse since President Barack Obama took office.

Caudillo President Hugo Chavez continues nationalizing the economy, muzzling the media and corralling any political opposition into a one-party state.

That's not all.

Just last week the...