Is anyone surprised at the fact that Maduro won yesterday’s election in Venezuela? No one should be; Chavez’s successor simply could not be allowed to lose. One odd thing, though, was the extreme narrowness of the margin of victory; shouldn’t … Continue reading →
…to be a latino? That seems to be the burning question of the day. It’s not just a stupid conversation, it’s the sort of identity politics that’s become all-too-prevalent these days and has made race and ethnicity a greater force … Continue reading →
…praises Chavez in their valedictories. Ed Driscoll lists a lot of the links here, thoughtfully saving me the distasteful task. Chief among them is President Jimmy Carter, who admits that Chavez had a couple of little flaws but was on … Continue reading →
…has died, according to Venezuela’s Vice President Nicolas Maduro. Impossible as yet to tell what the repercussions will be: an end to tyranny there, or just a continuation under another leader? Fausta’s blog is a good place to go for … Continue reading →
…with Hugo Chavez. Expert at gaining, holding, and wielding power, he could outmaneuver the opposition and finesse the elections. But health is another thing entirely. It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on with him right now, but it sounds … Continue reading →
Chavez wins. It might be the case that fraud was unnecessary for the Chavez win. But if fraud was necessary, then fraud was committed. There is virtually no chance Chavez was going to be allowed to lose. The lede says … Continue reading →
Did you know there’s an election today in Venezuela? It’s flown under the radar, hasn’t it? I would ordinarily assume Chavez would win—by hook or by crook. But a blogger I respect, Daniel in Venezuela, confidently predicts an opposition victory. … Continue reading →
…that Obama’s election has improved our standing around the world. And I would submit that, although I agree with the headline that this is an endorsement Obama “doesn’t want,” I’d amend it to say that what he actually doesn’t want … Continue reading →
I’ve just finished my latest book group assignment, Waiting For Snow in Havana, a memoir by Carlos Eire about his childhood in pre-Castro Cuba, the Castro takeover, and the circumstances under which he was able to leave Cuba for the … Continue reading →
I first read the superb book Alive back when it came out in the mid-70s, and immediately became fascinated by the harrowing tale it tells of the survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash. I wrote a little bit about … Continue reading →
[Bumped up.] My new piece is up at RightNetwork. In it, I compare the leaders who emerged under two extreme survival situations in South America: the recent Chilean mine accident, and the Andes plane crash of 1972 that inspired the … Continue reading →
The results are in from Venezuela’s election: Chavez wins, but loses. That’s not a riddle; let me explain. For quite some time, Hugo Chavez has enjoyed a supermajority in Venezuela’s legislature, which has enabled him to do almost anything he … Continue reading →