steev, i read a similar piece in the oregonian -- i forget where exactly in south american it was about, unfortunately. (maybe it also was bolivia; which can only make you wonder, is this "sudden press attention" softening up the u.s. public for something?)anyway, the exact same thing struck me -- the bizarre and lofty assumptions that not only the u.s. was here to "fix" the "mess" the country/ies "got themselves into", but also there was all this reference to "failed democracy" and similar things. as if the people there not following the u.s. example *exactly* (e.g. embracing capitalism to the point of selling off all their public resources). i found this linking of "failed democracy" with any socialist ideas to be really frustrating; as if the only way you can have democracy is to privatize everything.i guess i should try to find that article, huh? *heh*