Venezuelans are celebrating in the streets of Caracas and around the world after U.S. forces staged a flawless removal of brutal dictator and narco-trafficker Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Not celebrating are most congressional Democrats, a few Republicans, and the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, whose foreign policy credentials are akin to dining at the International House of Pancakes.
Even the Washington Post, which is no fan of President Trump and most of his policies, spoke well of the operation that captured Maduro, calling the action "a major victory for American interests" and noting "Just hours before, supportive Chinese officials held a chummy meeting with Maduro, who had also been propped up by Russia, Cuba and Iran." So, according to Democrats, it's OK for some of America's adversaries to play footsie with Maduro, but not OK to break his legs and topple his evil regime?
Democrats are already on the wrong side of deporting undocumented immigrants and many social issues. Do they also want to go on record defending Maduro?
It's useful to read the first sentence of the Federal indictment of Maduro: "For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States." Maduro oversaw an attack on America that was as deadly as a military attack in a conventional war. Democrats in Congress want to invoke the War Powers Act to prevent the president from taking additional military action in Venezuela.
Again, the Washington Post editorial got it right when it said: "Maduro's removal sends an important message to tin-pot dictators in Latin America and the world: Trump follows through. President Joe Biden offered sanctions relief to Venezuela, and Maduro responded to that show of weakness by stealing an election."
Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader María Corina Machado posted on X: "The time for freedom has come! (Maduro) will face international justice for atrocious crimes against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations."
Additional justification for military action came from an article by Elliott Abrams, published in National Review days before the raid and re-published by the Council on Foreign Relations: "Last year the democratic forces there won a landslide victory in the presidential election - despite the fact that the regime tried desperately to fix the outcome. Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition candidate and a virtual unknown prior to his candidacy, won 70-30 and would have won by a greater margin had the election been fair. Had Maria Corina Machado, whom the opposition had chosen as its candidate, been permitted to run, the margin would, again, have been greater. The desire of the Venezuelan people to get rid of the corrupt and brutal Maduro regime is clear."
Lefties are already in the streets with their "free Maduro" signs, but their numbers are a pittance compared to those celebrating his removal. Maduro's trial in New York will likely be a spectacle, but the big question is what comes next?
President Trump says the U.S. and oil companies will "run" Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time. That will only work with the support of the military and the Venezuelan people, whom Trump says will become "rich" after Maduro's removal and the ability of citizens to acquire what Maduro has denied them, including, and most importantly, freedom.
Dictators in Cuba, along with the ayatollahs in Iran and the Mexican government, which has insufficiently battled the dominant drug cartels, take note. Trump is serious when he makes promises. He may often embellish and say things that aren't true, or repeat himself, but especially in the case of removing a threat to the United States, he means business.
Go ahead, Democrats, and try to make the case that Maduro should have remained in power and continued to kill Americans and his own people. That won't benefit your electoral prospects in the next election.
Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas' latest book, "A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).
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