Is it really that hard? I've obtained two Brazilian tourist visas in the past, and in both cases it was no problem at all.

The first was several years ago in Asunción, Paraguay - I showed up at the embassy with my passport, a couple of photos, and money, and I came back the next day to pick up my passport with the visa stamp in it.

Then I had to get a visa last year while I was living in DC. I printed out the form online (they even had terminals at the embassy visa office where you could do that), dropped off my passport, photos and fee, and was told to come back to pick the visa up in two weeks. When I went on the date indicated, I got my passport and visa immediately, no problems. I admit I was surprised that it took that long - but then, I didn't wait until the last minute to get the visa, so everything was OK.

If you're not located in a city with a Brazilian consulate, I imagine you'd just need to send your passport in with several weeks' notice and a self-addressed, shipping return envelope, no? Just make sure you have plenty of time before your trip, and you're fine.... or am I missing something?