Bush Makes Propaganda Tour of Latin America

President George W. Bush returned to Washington with little or nothing to show after what amounted to a weeklong propaganda tour through Latin America. He stopped in the countries where he would meet the least opposition: Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico. He nonetheless encountered criticism and protest at every step. In Colombia, demonstrators turned out in Bogotá despite massive numbers of police and soldiers who tried to enforce a ban on protest. Indymedia Colombia writes: "The more than 3,000 protesters here, in one of the most important crossroads of the presidential tour, demonstrated the resistance with which this unwanted visit was met."

Bush’s tour was an effort to upstage Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who commands the Latin American spotlight by providing more aid to other Latin American countries than does Washington.

Bush used the word “compassionate” over and over in press conferences to describe the U.S. under his administration. He talked about “social justice,” and had photo ops with workers and community members. It seemed as if the White House was usurping the language and imagery of the left.

Hugo Chávez, meanwhile, did his own counter-tour, visiting Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Haiti and Jamaica. Before speaking to a crowd of 20,000 in a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires, Chávez told reporters: “[Bush] is trying to confuse, defraud and divide. We must break the chains of imperialism. There won’t be any more wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing, nor these manipulative discourses, nor these handouts like Bush is offering now that he has discovered there are poor people in Latin America.”