AL GIORDANO says that I’m wrong about Bolivia, and likens what’s going on there to the California recall. He’s got a long and link-filled post offering a rather different view than you’ve seen here. (This is the earlier post of mine.)

I hope that he’s right that “authentic democracy” is coming to Bolivia, but I remain skeptical. All my life I’ve heard that revolutions in Latin America were about authentic democracy, but on closer inspection they’ve turned out to be fomented by the usual sorts of Maoists and Stalinists, acting as pawns for outside interests. I’d love for things to be different this time.

UPDATE: Here’s a roundup of stories about Bolivia from a blogger in Ecuador, with firsthand reports from his brother who’s in Bolivia. And here’s more blogging from Bolivia, with photos.