"The devil came here yesterday," Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday. "He came here, talking as if he were the owner of the world."

That's how Chavez reacted to President Bush and the U.S. policy toward Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

It's not that Chavez isn't allowed to hate Bush, but to call him "the devil" while addressing the floor of the U.N. was dumbfounding. This is expected from snarky pundits looking to boost ratings — not a leader.

Understandably, Chavez's comments won't warrant acknowledgment from the Bush administration, but they will generate headlines for newspapers — and anything that detracts from the terribly planned war in Iraq is a score for Bush.

Chavez, of course, is not the only politician to speak in a manner more appropriate for the school yard. Our own president and many in his White House — Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney come to mind — have already said anyone against the war on terror is supporting al-Qaida.

Politically, Chavez and Bush are on opposite sides of the spectrum, but based on their brazen attitudes and insipid comments, they're probably more alike than any of us would like to admit.