I’ve written before on the help that the United States has gotten from Brazilian president Lula Inacio da Silva in dealing with Hugo Chavez. While the United States and Lula’s Brazil aren’t ‘allies,’ we’ve developed a pretty good working relationship based on shared interest. And what do we share an interest in today? Apparently on denying Hugo Chavez admission to Mercosur, where he could turn that Latin American alliance to his own goals: