South American savages say mean things about polite US president as he tries his best to create jobs and spread democracy

This is not a media-criticism blog, but I've been paying a lot of attention to the Latin American left these days, so today's Los Angeles Times article about the anti-Bush protests in Argentina just cried out to be torn apart.

Check out the first sentence:

"A hemispheric summit to promote job creation and the spread of democracy throughout the Americas opened here Friday..."

The matter-of-fact way the authors (Patrick J. McDonnell and Edwin Chen) present this--how can I put it politely?--deeply controversial view of the purpose of America's international trade policy says it all, but more fun is on the way. For example, paragraphs two and three let us know what a violent bunch these anti-American protesters are:

"A group of about 200 hard-core protesters attempting to breach the security cordon around the meeting site clashed with riot police about six blocks from the hotel where President Bush and other heads of state were meeting.

The protesters, some covering their faces with clothing, hurled rocks, set fire to a bank, and broke windows on more than a dozen shops, authorities said."

It's a pretty run-of-the-mill description of violent left-wing protests, but I'd like to call additional attention to the cute little phrase hiding at the end: "authorities said." This is one those phrases mainstream journalists say with out even noticing it, the way valley girls say "like."

Concerned readers should be aware that, as in most such violent protests, "police were forced to use tear gas to disperse the crowd." Pobrecitos.

Meanwhile, a more complete description of the protest is buried further down the page:

"Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully if boisterously through the streets of this city...

Most of Friday's protests, which involved more than 30,000 marchers, according to unofficial estimates here, were peaceful but intensely anti-Bush..."

You know those Latins, boisterous and intense. I guess it's not surprising, then, that their leader would be "fiery populist" Hugo Chavez, as opposed to the more civilized American president:

"'Well, I will, of course, be polite,' said Bush, striking a conciliatory note, when asked how he would react if confronted by Chavez."

By the way, those Latins are also confrontational. That's why they say such outrageous things about their political opponents. For example, Bush "was lampooned in banners hoisted aloft as a vampire, devil, and war-monger." Silly savages, there's no such thing as war-mongers!