Rio de Janeiro, Feb. 8 (Reuters): Uncle Sam, that symbol of US patriotism, has a front seat on an extravagantly decorated float in the parade of samba schools in Rio de Janiero’s upcoming carnival.

It won’t be a pretty sight though. His pants are down around his ankles, his genitals exposed for all to see, and his outstretched fingers smeared with ink. And somewhere out in the crowd will be hundreds of Saddam Hussein look-a-likes.

The five-day carnival in this seaside Brazilian city — one of the world’s wildest annual celebrations — is less than two weeks away. Participants are putting the finishing touches to gaudy costumes and elaborate floats, and honing their dance routines and the custom-written samba songs known as enredos.

As always, there’s a good dose of political satire.

The 12-foot styrofoam Uncle Sam is at present in a guarded warehouse of the Sao Clemente samba school, one of 14 groups who will parade over the nights of February 22 and February 23 in the Sambodromo hoping to win the champion’s crown.

Each school has a theme based on an aspect of Brazilian history or life, expounded in fantastic allegorical displays of singing and dancing. Sao Clemente will have 3,800 members taking part, including a drums corps of 260.

The school’s theme this year is Cordel — traditional booklets about news events or legends written for humble folk. “It is critical and satirical,” Sao Clemente vice-president Roberto Gomez told a visitor to the warehouse. “Uncle Sam will reflect the frictions between the US and Brazil.”

The two countries have been embroiled in a dispute this past year over international trade accords. When the float was first designed, Uncle Sam was to be squatting toilet-fashion over a model of the Brazilian Congress, Gomez said.

Then Washington offended Brazilians by imposing compulsory fingerprinting when they entered the US. Brazil retaliated with a similar measure.

“With the fingerprinting, we decided to move him to the front of the float,” Gomez said.

Uncle Sam is also be gagged, symbolising a perceived US clamp-down on freedoms.