I wonder how long it will take for Bush to start a coup against him.

washingtonpost.com: Leftist Takes Big Lead In Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former labor leader, held a commanding lead in Brazil's presidential election tonight, signaling a major shift to the political left in Latin America's largest nation.

With 76 percent of the ballots counted, Lula, as the 56-year-old onetime factory worker and prominent leftist is widely known, had 47 percent of the national vote, short of the 50 percent plus one vote required for an outright victory. Lula is almost certain to face a runoff on Oct. 27 against his closest competitor, ruling party candidate and political centrist Jose Serra, who had 24 percent of the vote.

Lula, who is making his fourth bid for the presidency, has been leading in opinion polls here for months, but surged in popularity in recent weeks as his populist campaign tapped into an anti-globalization backlash sweeping Brazil.

The prospect of a Lula presidency has panicked foreign investors and fueled a mounting financial crisis in the world's eighth-largest economy that could further damage the already sluggish global economy. Lula's opposition to U.S. policy in Latin America, from U.S. aid in Colombia's drug war to the embargo against Fidel Castro's Cuba, has also raised alarm in Washington.

His populist campaign and promises to defend domestic industry from foreign competition also echoed widespread frustrations here over high unemployment and lingering social inequality after a decade of U.S.-backed free market reforms. More recently, however, he has sought to assuage fears that he would be a leftist firebrand, saying he had "moderated and matured" and has backed away from threats to default on Brazil's $260 billion national debt.