Why is simon bolivar called george washington of south america

FROM THE BOOK:He is called the 'George Washington of South America.' Bolivar planned to unite the Spanish colonies of South America into a single country called Gran Colombia. The area of upper Peru was renamed Bolivia in his honor. Discouraged by political disputes that tore the new Latin American nations apart, he is reported to have said, 'America is ungovernable. Those who have served the revolution have ploughed the sea.'"

answer; ///he could not explain why the continents drifted;