John McCain is relying on a mad-as-hell Hugo Chavez to land the latest punch in an increasingly intense battle for the important Hispanic vote in Florida.

The ad, in Spanish, seizes on Barack Obama's stated pledge to meet with foreign leaders such as Chavez (seen in the ad trashing 'Yankees') who are hostile to the U.S.

*

English Script For "Obama-Chavez" (TV :60)

ANNCR: Did you see who Obama wants to talk with?

CHAVEZ: Go to h*ll, you filthy Yankees!

ANNCR: Barack Obama says that he would meet Chavez without conditions.

CHAVEZ: Filthy Yankees, go to h*ll hundred times!

ANNCR: He said he would meet in his first year in office.

CHAVEZ: The United States which is behind every conspiracy against our country.

ANNCR: He said it was a disgrace that we haven't spoken with them.

CHAVEZ: If any aggression were to come against Venezuela, then there will be no oil for people or the government of the Unites States!

ANNCR: Do you believe we should talk with Chavez?

CHAVEZ: We, you filthy Yankees, know that we are resolute to be free, no matter what happens, and at any cost!

ANNCR: In November, you decide.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.

ANNCR: Paid for by McCain-Palin 2008. Approved by John McCain.

----

Obama's response:

OBAMA HAS MADE CLEAR THAT CHAVEZ IS A DEMAGOGUE WHO NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

Obama Called Chavez A “Demagogue” With A “Perilous Mix Of Anti-American Rhetoric, Authoritarian Government, And Checkbook Diplomacy.” Obama said, “Since the Bush Administration launched a misguided war in Iraq, its policy in the Americas has been negligent toward our friends, ineffective with our adversaries, disinterested in the challenges that matter in peoples’ lives, and incapable of advancing our interests in the region. No wonder, then, that demagogues like Hugo Chavez have stepped into this vacuum. His predictable yet perilous mix of anti-American rhetoric, authoritarian government, and checkbook diplomacy offers the same false promise as the tried and failed ideologies of the past. But the United States is so alienated from the rest of the Americas that this stale vision has gone unchallenged, and has even made inroads from Bolivia to Nicaragua. And Chavez and his allies are not the only ones filling the vacuum. While the United States fails to address the changing realities in the Americas, others from Europe and Asia – notably China – have stepped up their own engagement. Iran has drawn closer to Venezuela, and just the other day Tehran and Caracas launched a joint bank with their windfall oil profits.” [ Obama Speech, 5/23/08 ]