It’s time for the Summit of the Americas again, and that means leftists from all over will be flocking to Argentina to protest… well, they don’t really know what, they just know that oil-stealing Bush guy from Texas will be there. And they’ll be in great company, with the likes of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Cindy Sheheen. I can already imagine them all sitting together and enjoying tea and crumpets.

George Bush left his problems at home yesterday only to find himself flying into a whole new world of hurt at the Summit of Americas in Argentina, where tens of thousands of protesters, led by the football star and broadcaster Diego Maradona, were due to greet the president in a “say no to Bush” march.

The president can expect an equally unfriendly welcome from some of the leaders and top officials attending the summit in the seaside town of Mar del Plata. Among those he can expect to come face to face with is Hugo Chavez, the outspoken president of Venezuela who has accused the Bush administration of attempting to orchestrate a coup against him and last week said the US was planning to invade his country.

Around 10,000 police and security agents have erected a ring of steel around the town, while Argentinian navy vessels have been positioned off the coast. Most commercial flights are due to be suspended once the 34-nation summit begins. But with so many protesters in the area, there are fears that trouble could break out.

Last weekend small bombs were thrown at several American bank branches and chain store branches. Maradona has urged viewers of his popular television show to join him in a protest outside the meeting. Argentina’s “piquetero” movement – made up of protesters known for blocking roads and confronting authorities – has promised to descend on the resort in force.

So why is this a fake revolution?

What the news reports won’t tell you about are the hundreds of professional protestors who fly in from as far as the United States and Europe. They sometimes come up to a month early in order to help organize and direct the groups involved. It happened with the APEC summit in Santiago, Chile back in November 2004. And it’s happening in Argentina now.

The authorities know about these fake revolutionaries, of course. They don’t leave their hotels without someone noticing, because honestly, these people are really sketchy characters. It looks like a couple of the groups involved in this particular protest will be resorting to violent methods, which means that they’ll inevitably be clashing with the police. The protestors wouldn’t have to resort to such methods if they had a coherent message. And right now, there’s no telling how far they’ll go with their dear leader Hugo Chavez in town.