By Luther Ray Abel
Saturday, January 3, 2026
This
post is in response to Ten Quick Thoughts on the U.S. Bombing Venezuela
and Capturing Maduro
There will be more thoughtful columns on the site today —
like Jim’s above — concerning the prosecution of our raid on Venezuela and the
capture of Nicolás Maduro. Nonetheless, I feel the need to note that when
the U.S. and her military get to feeling frisky, there isn’t much anyone,
anywhere, can do about it, and the bad actors of the world should thank their
lucky stars we have as many political, structural, and ethical checks on
foreign intervention as we do.
I grew up in the wane of the Global War on Terrorism
when, after the invasion of Iraq and the ensuing embarrassments, we no longer
felt that we were a moral actor. The ensuing rise of Obama and his apology
tours — combined with a miasma of general cynicism regarding interventionism of
any stripe — that so delighted our enemies in Russia, China, and collectivists
everywhere, claimed that the U.S. had not waged a righteous war since we
toppled Hitler. It was always Zinnian crap, but it was the prevailing narrative.
How good it is to sit here today and see reports of our
victory for the Venezuelan people. It brings to mind our sacrifices in Korea,
Vietnam, and the Gulf (and the many, many ops that the public may never know
that have frustrated killers in every corner of the world). Like the Gulf, the
work of last night was one of willpower and exhibited the might of American
forces as well as our logistical and strategic superiority. When we want to
win, and allow ourselves explicit, rational goals, we win. We do it bigly. The
Trump administration being what it is, you’re unlikely to witness a press
conference today that is the equal of General Schwarzkopf’s after American
forces routed Saddam Hussein’s numerically superior Iraqi units.
We did something good last night. May Venezuela grab hold
of the opportunity for freedom that has long been denied it by Maduro and his
masters in Moscow and Beijing. As for the legality of the operation, it will no
doubt be hashed out in the coming months. There’s certainly an argument that
Trump should be impeached for conducting this without Congress. If he is, so be
it. There are a dozen ugly things for which Trump should be impeached . . . if
he goes down for liberating Venezuela, then God bless it.
We are a nation of laws and a moral people. We
are charitable to a fault. But sometimes our enemies need to be reminded
that good men can stack a few bodies, and do it more cleanly than the butchers
they themselves are.
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