NEWSHOUR STORY ON BUSH IN LATIN AMERICA

One of the Newshour's stories tonight was by Margaret Warner on Bush's tour of South and Central America, visiting those countries Bush thinks are not 100% against him. I have several objections to the report. First, Bush suggested in a video clip that poverty in Latin America turns people away from democracy. I would have liked Margaret Warner to critique Bush's statement and object to it. But she let it go. This is why we left-leaning bloggers take umbrage at times with the work of certain MSM journalists. They seem to permit themselves to be used by those currently in power. Show me one Latin American country that fits Bush's thesis. Certainly not Venezuela where Hugo Chavez was recently re-elected president with over 70% of the popular vote. Not Bolivia. Not Brazil. Not Ecuador. Not Mexico.

Now on other facets of the report. Okay, Chavez called Bush "Satan." So what? There are a lot of us Americans who think Bush is a devil.

Chavez nationalises Venezuelan telephone and oil companies. So what? Vladimir Putin does the same thing.

The main point should have been the depth of animosity of the Latino hoi polloi against Bush even in the "safe" countries, such as Uruguay or Colombia. This animosity is not "anti-United States," contrary to what the Newshour report stated. Rather it is anti-Bush. There is a big difference.

Finally, Margaret Warner gives me the impression that she does not hear the answers which her questions elicit. No matter what a guest answers, Margaret Warner seems to forge ahead with her pre-determined questions. Do any of the answers really matter?