PrintJanuary 31, 2009
The Threat Closer to Home
The Threat Closer to Home: Hugo Chavez and the War Against America by Douglas Schoen and Michael Rowan (New York: Simon and Schuster)Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is often dismissed as a showboater and a buffoon to Americans who might remember his performance in front of the United Nations General Assembly, marked by a diatribe against George Bush ("the devil came right here..and it still smells of sulfur") but Douglas Schoen and Michael Rowan in their superb new book, The Threat Closer to Home: Hugo Chavez and the War Against America, argue that he is a far more dangerous character than these images may convey. They marshal considerable evidence to make their case in this eminently readable and convincing book.Hugo Chavez began his career in the army. After a failed coup attempt, he conditioned his surrender on being allowed to give a nationwide speech. In that speech he made a populist pitch and admitted that his objectives had not been achieved "For...(Read Full Article)
