Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - referred to by most as simply "Lula" - stood next to the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a press conference and gave us the benefit of a little third world orthodoxy:

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday blamed the global economic crisis on “white people with blue eyes” and said it was wrong that black and indigenous people should pay for white people’s mistakes.

Speaking in Brasília at a joint press conference with Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister, Mr Lula da Silva told reporters: “This crisis was caused by the irrational behaviour of white people with blue eyes, who before the crisis appeared to know everything and now demonstrate that they know nothing.”

He added: “I do not know any black or indigenous bankers so I can only say [it is wrong] that this part of mankind which is victimised more than any other should pay for the crisis.”

Mr Brown appeared to distance himself from Mr Lula da Silva’s remarks. “I’m not going to attribute blame to any individuals,” he said.

I'm sure Mr. Brown breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he had brown eyes and not blue. God knows what horrors the Latin American leftist would have had in store for the British PM if the Brown actually had blue eyes. No doubt there would have been some kind of show trial and perhaps even a public flogging.

It's a shame Lula doesn't get out much. If he did, he'd know that there are many African American bankers in America and plenty of people of color working in finance in Great Britain. But Mr. Brown didn't see fit to mention that to his host.

Lula also warned these same blue eyed white devils against going all protectionist on him when it comes to trade:

“I compare protectionism to a drug,” he said. “Why do people use drugs? Because they are in crisis and they think the drug will help them. But its effects pass quickly.”

I blame the drug problem on idiot Latin American leftists with funny sounding names. Makes as much sense as blaming the financial meltdown on any race and any eye color.