Latin America rejects BushCo...

Argentinian President Hugo Chavez leads massive protests against Bush and his Trade policies.

But the opposition to Bush and his proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), as well as neoconservative economic policies and capitalism in general, took on a creative twist this time, with a massive march that ended in a rally at a sports stadium involving a heterogeneous group of Latin American leaders: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Bolivian socialist leader Evo Morales, Argentine leaders of the unemployed, Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, singers from all over the continent, and, of course, Diego Maradona, legendary soccer hero.

The LA Times talks in detail about how the talks ended in disagreement, giving BushCo another foreign policy defeat.

The lack of a closing declaration delivered by chief executives — generally a standard feature of global summits — underscored the polarized nature of the free-trade issue. The fiercest debate of the sessions focused on the hemispheric treaty, an idea that has been on the table for more than a decade but hasn't advanced much beyond the talking stage. The Bush administration had hoped to change that this weekend.

The FTAA never had a chance. If BushCo was to expect cooperation from countries he has expoited, snubbed, and tried to oust, they would be dreaming. Aside from Venezuela - Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay also dissented, while the 28 others want the free trade accord. But, take a look at the makeup of the dissenters. They represent the largest economies in the region. The other nations are to poor and have nothing to lose. Why should any country not look out for its best interests?

So what does this mean? The Nation concluded:

Regardless, it seems to be that opposition toward Bush and his policies has created a powerful space, one which regional leaders, especially Chávez, are more than willing to take advantage of.