QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I hope this doesn’t harm Obama, but if I was from the United States, I’d vote for Obama.” — Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.

Chavez also told Reuters:  “Obama is a good guy … I think that if Obama was from Barlovento or some Caracas neighborhood, he’d vote for Chavez,” the president told state TV, referring to a poor coastal town known for the African roots of its population.

Chavez is one of the world’s most strident critics of Washington and his 14 years in office have been characterized by diplomatic spats and insults at the White House.

He called former U.S. President George W. Bush a “drunk” and the “devil.” After an initial overture to Obama came to nothing, he said the new president had disappointed progressives the world over and was the “shame” of Africans.

It’s a little comical that in the last few years, Hugo Chavez rears his head around election time to give his two cents. Thankfully, President Obama has largely ignored him throughout his term as president, so the right wing won’t say the two men are friends and share the same Socialist views.

This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.