Hugo Chavez Declares "Almost Victory"

Just like his Democratic counterparts in the States, after assuring all of us that he was going to win a seat on the UN Security Council after his "El Diablo" speech, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is having to resort to a tried-and-true Democratic tactic and declare "almost victory":

UNITED NATIONS — Venezuela President Hugo Chavez suffered an embarrassing defeat Monday at the United Nations, where the General Assembly failed to give his county the necessary votes for a coveted seat on the Security Council.

Guatemala topped Venezuela in the first two rounds of voting, but it too failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority to win a two-year term on the decision-making body.

Chavez, who had waged a highly public campaign — including spending millions of petro-dollars to win support — accused the U.S. of waging a "dirty war" to defeat Venezuela's candidacy.

"Go forth with the bayonet! Venezuela is going to the Security Council," Chavez said Sunday, encouraging Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations, Francisco Arias Cardenas

The U.S. and its allies argued that Venezuela's constant anti-American rhetoric could stymie the council and undermine its credibility.

There will be another vote, and I suppose Hugo could throw some money around and possibly overtake Guatamala in the next ballot, but it's unlikely.

UPDATE: After 10 rounds of voting Guatamala still leads and things are trending their way. More voting tomorrow. At one point (round 6) the two countries were tied.