What ever happened to diplomacy?

Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a big splash at the UN this week. They were quite blunt - no diplomatic niceties. And I'm delighted.

I'm sure Sr. Chavez is echoing the sentiments of millions of Latin Americans. His reference to Bush as a devil emanating fumes of sulfur was classic. I'm less taken with Ahmadinejad and his theocratic government, but some of what he said is worth a listen. Morales of Bolivia waved a coca leaf during his speech criticizing American drug policy. Are we seeing a significant threat to U.S. hegemony in the Americas?