Our "friends" to the south.(Insider Report)

Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, was the site of the February 10 Olympic qualifying match between the American and Mexican under-23 soccer teams. A New York Times account of the match, which ended in a 4-0 rout of the U.S., describes the stadium as "a throbbing hive" of anti-American hostility.

"The shouted vulgarities began as the United States under-23 team appeared for warm-ups," reported the Times. "The name of each starter was heckled with collective booing. The national anthem was derided with shrieking whistles." One Mexican soccer fan, referring to the crowd's fervor, offered a somewhat plausible explanation: "Soccer is our national sport. We cannot let the Americans beat us at our game."

But Mexican patriotism can hardly explain the spectacle that ensued during the 26th minute of the match, when the 60,000-strong Mexican crowd began the unison chant of "Osama! Osama!" After the match, several spectators tried to dismiss the chant as a tasteless joke. At least one tried to frame the incident as a crude geopolitical commentary: "We think the United States exaggerated its reaction about terrorism and security measures. We criticize the reasons why America goes to war."

Those points are debatable, of ...