Montevideo: US President George W Bush and his left-wing nemesis Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez squared off on dueling tours of Latin America on Friday as they vied for the region's hearts and minds.
The ideological rivalry intensified as Bush arrived in Uruguay, the second stop of his tour, while Chavez drew support from thousands of Argentines at an "anti-imperialist" rally across the River Plate in neighboring Argentina. Chavez led the crowd of union workers and leftists in shouting "Gringo, Go Home!" against Bush.
Bush is on a five-nation tour that began in Brazil and is aimed at improving his standing in Latin America, where the Iraq war and U.S. trade and immigration policies are deeply unpopular.
Chavez, an ally of communist Cuban leader Fidel Castro, has led a growing anti-US bloc in recent years and rarely misses a chance to rail against American "imperialism".
Thousands of Uruguayans took to the streets on Friday, some shouting "Get out, Bush!". Dozens of masked protesters, many wielding sticks and hurling rocks, shattered the windows of three McDonald's stores.
"We Uruguayans have to show we reject Bush even if the government welcomes him with open arms," said one peaceful protester, Alejandro Piriz, 72. Earlier on Friday, Bush met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a moderate leftist who Washington sees as a potential counterweight to Chavez, and the two announced an ethanol fuel development plan for the Americas.
Bush's "ethanol diplomacy" plus new aid pledges are seen as an attempt to offset Chavez's use of Venezuela's oil wealth to court a new generation of Latin American leftist leaders in his quest for a regionwide socialist revolution. Chavez dismissed Bush's promise of fresh aid.
"The imperial chief has come making ridiculous and laughable offers to try to break the movement we have inspired," he told the crowd. The fiery leftist has often launched verbal attacks against Bush, calling him the devil in a U.N. speech last year.
Asked whether his tour would help limit Chavez's influence, Bush sidestepped the question but his message was clear.
"My trip down down here is to remind our country that South America, Latin America are good places to invest, particularly in countries that adhere to rule of law and are transparent and believe in the fundamentals of freedom," he said in a veiled swipe at Chavez's anti-capitalist policies.
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