Is U.S President G.W. Bush helping push forward the Bolivarian dream and the ideal of Pan-Latino cooperation? While here in the U.S. Bush’s popularity is falling fast among Latinos thanks to his postion and the positions of his Republican buddies on immigration, our hermanos and hermanas in Latin America have a laundry list of reasons to dislike Bush and this seems to be bringing the diverse countries that make up Latin America together. And it’s not just radicals that aren’t happy with el presidente Bush.

In a recent Zogby poll, fewer than 20% of Latin American elites (typically the most politically conservative voters in the region) gave Bush a favorable approval rating. Only 6% said Bush’s policies were better than those of his predecessors.

So why is this happening? When did Latin America stop looking at the U.S. and its neoliberal policies as a cure for its own ills? Well some say that after 9-11-01 Latin America and its political elites began to feel neglected by the cowboy president. Most Latin American countries did not support the call to war in Iraq and are feeling that the U.S. can be a little hypocritical when it comes to talking about democracy on one side of its mouth while encouraging overthrowing “disagreeable” leaders like Hugo Chavez on the other side.

By this summer, every major Latin American nation but Colombia is likely to be run by elected leaders with stronger backgrounds in Marx than free markets. If Cold War-era “domino theory” has been a bust in the Middle East, it’s working with textbook precision in Latin America.

So maybe we should be saying gracias Bush?

Via / Mother Jones