Unless the initial news reports are incorrect (always a possibility), the Trump administration authorized and carried out strikes on Caracas, Venezuela, and have captured its illegitimate head of state, nicolàs maduro.
Am I happy that, if true, maduro is ousted as the dictator (he lost the last election by a major landslide but stayed in office anyway) of Venezuela? You bet I am. This subhuman feces pile, continuing in hugo chavez’ footsteps, has turned the once-prosperous Venezuela into an economically devastated, freedomless wasteland.
But am I happy that President Trump, without congressional authority, unilaterally did this? Absolutely not. This is exactly what we accuse other nations of and condemn them for.
What is Trump’s justification for the attack? It appears to begin and end at the Department of Justice’s March, 2020 designation of Venezuela as a “narco-terrorist state”.
I acknowledge that this designation, and Venezuela’s actions thereafter – including major shipments of deadly drugs to the United States – can be used as a rationale for taking action against maduro. But for us to bomb a country and capture him? Based on my non-expert opinion, it seems obvious to me that congressional approval would have to be forthcoming.
Now: what about the potential consequences? What happens if deposing maduro results in a civil war with countless dead and major destruction? Who are we supposed to blame for that?
Bottom line: In doing this, Trump has entered extremely dangerous territory and made the United States extremely vulnerable to condemnation – and maybe a lot worse – from other countries.
Let’s hope it works out well for Venezuelans and for us. But never forget that there are very obvious reasons that it might not. And, if they should take place, there is only one person to blame for it. He resides in the White House.
