The pitfalls of electing an idealistic political neophyte

If you've been paying attention at all to the energy situation in Bolivia, there isn't much new in this New York Times report on the situation, but I thought the following quotes were worth some emphasis:

Carlos Alberto López, an energy secretary in a previous administration: "We are awakening to the reality that our energy nationalism is shooting us in the foot."

"Evo's nationalization was an astute move politically in the short term," said Roger Tissot, a specialist in South American energy politics at Gas Energy, a Brazilian consulting firm, citing the increase in social spending made possible here by higher revenues. "But in the long term Bolivia is boxing itself in."