It's Fun to Torment

Imagine for a moment that NPR would run a report stating that Bush administration officials delight in tormenting the Palestinian Authority, or delight in tormenting Cuban leaders. Even I'd find this a bit strange and unprofessional. Now consider Tom Gjelten's words in reporting on the Non-aligned Movement Summit in Havana, Cuba:

• "Among the stars of the Havana summit were the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Venzuelan President, Hugo Chavez -- both of whom seem to delight in tormenting the Bush administration."

I'm no fan of the religiously narrow, bigoted president of Iran and I'm disturbed by the human rights abuses of the duly elected Chavez government, but these two men have every reason to be aggressively defensive toward the US. Iran is being threatened with military aggression (even nukes have been considered) and Chavez was the victim of a coup attempt involving the Bush administration back in 2002.
To describe the actions and rhetoric of these men "delight in tormenting" is to completely mislead listeners as to the serious threats these nations face from the current administration in Washington. I don't know if he delights in it, but Tom Gjelten is bound to torment anyone with a knowledge of history and a bit of common sense!