Latin America To US: Yankee Go Home

While the Middle East remains a quagmire, the rest of the world gets little attention from Bush. Not Africa, which is in turmoil thanks to a plague Bush refuses to use the best medical advice to combat. And certainly not Central and South America.

USA Today has a thoughtful lead editorial looking at how fragile democracy is in that once promising region. The clock is rolling back in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and on and on.

Certainly Venezuela is shaky. Its leader Hugo Chavez just kicked out the US military, ending a 35 year old relationship. Now why is the leftist Chavez angry at the US? Oh yeah, that's right. About the only action Bush took in the last five years south of our border was to SUPPORT A MILITARY COUP to overthrow the democratically elected Chavez. Democracy is on the move, except when Bush wants to support a dictatorship that spreads nuclear weapson and know-how (Pakistan), a monarcy that spreads terrorism (Saudi Arabia) or just hates a democratically lected leader that won't kowtow to the US and so supports the military thugs who want to thwart the will of the people (Venezuela). And we wonder why people around the world don't buy Bush's rhetoric.

Finally, nearly a million people in Mexico marched to support the mayor of Mexico City. He may be a populist, he may be a leftist, but he represents the will of the Mexican people. Wanna bet Bush hates him and will snub him whenever Bush gets the chance?

Ah, democracy. Ain't it inconvenient, Mr. President?