Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has never been shy about his disdain for President George W. Bush. On his weekly television program "Alo Presidente," Chavez has called the U.S. president every name in the book. But by bringing his stinging insults to the United Nations meeting in New York, it wasn't Bush-bashing he was after, but rather promoting his own image as the leader of anti-American forces around the world.

It was a simple phrase: "Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world," he said on the podium during the U.N. General Assembly. Then he went on to make the sign of the cross and added, "You can still detect the stench of sulfur."

His little comment provoked chuckles in the audience, and at the end of the speech he got the longest applause of the day. No doubt dozens of heads of state were amused by his words. Many of them share his sentiment of disgust for the policies of the Bush administration, but few would dare to be so direct in their condemnation of the president. It is not very presidential, to say the least, but it certainly got Chavez major press coverage in the U.S. and around the world.

Through the years, opponents of the United States have used the international forum to criticize the American government and its policies. From Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to revolutionary icons Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, harsh words have been used at the U.N. to refer to the American government. In 1987, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in criticizing U.S. aid to the Contra movement, reminded President Ronald Reagan that "Rambo only exists in the movies."
During this year's General Assembly, not even Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- the newest public enemy No. 1 -- dared to directly attack the U.S. president. But then again, he didn't need to. His new amigo Hugo Chavez took care of it for him.

So, what does Chavez have to gain with all this anti-American rhetoric? In the short term, the Venezuelan head of state hopes to be able to gain enough votes to get one of the two rotating nonpermanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, something the United States is vehemently opposed to. He needs 192 votes, two-thirds of the total membership, and with so many countries still irritated about the Iraq War, he is hoping to win them over.
In the long term, it seems like Chavez is trying to become the champion of anti-Americanism around the world: The brave leader who's not afraid to confront the most powerful country on the globe, a position unofficially held by Cuba's dictator, Fidel Castro, up to now. Regardless of whether Castro returns to power after ceding it to his brother Raul while he recuperates from his ailments, it's clear that his final days are closer.

The United States has been successful at fending off the effects of Castro's anti-American rhetoric. Although unpopular in most of the world, the U.S. has been able to maintain an economic embargo against the island controlled by a communist dictatorship for the past 46 years.

But dealing with the threat coming from Chavez represents a whole other set of challenges. For one thing, Chavez is a democratically elected president who is not only popular in his own country but in part of the region. Chavez has managed to align himself with every anti-American force in the world and break ranks with those who side with the U.S. on economic or political issues.

But more important, Chavez has money, and lots of it. Venezuela is the fifth-largest oil producer in the world and supplies 15 percent of the crude oil imported by the United States. The Venezuelan government owns and controls the Houston-based energy company Citgo. Chavez uses the money derived from the deep oil wells to buy support in his country through social programs and to buy influence around the world.

Like the Cuban dictator, Chavez has repeatedly said he's a friend of the American people but not the American government. During his New York visit, he vowed to once again donate crude oil for heating to help poor Americans in 18 states make it through the winter, doubling the amount donated last year. A generous offer, but with friends like that, who needs enemies?

(Maria Elena Salinas es autora del libro "Yo soy la hija de mi padre: Una vida sin secretos." Conectese a www.mariaesalinas.com)
(c) 2006 by Maria Elena Salinas
Distributed by King Features Syndicate