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Americans woke to the kind of news that makes patriots proud: a pre-dawn U.S. operation captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and brought him into American custody in New York. The mission’s precision and speed — moving a wanted criminal off the battlefield without American fatalities — showed what happens when our country decides to act with clarity and force.
Senator Tom Cotton put it plainly on national television: only the United States military could have pulled this off, and he rightly hailed the CIA and our special operators for their role. That kind of competence is what conservatives have been demanding for years — capability, resolve, and a willingness to use both to defend American lives and interests.
President Trump went further, saying the U.S. would “run” Venezuela long enough to secure a transition, protect oil assets, and stamp out the narco-cartel networks that have bled our cities. For those fed up with toothless diplomacy, this is not reckless bravado but straightforward deterrence: if you traffic poison and harbor enemies of America, you will answer for it.
Of course, the coastal elites and foreign tyrants are already shrieking about sovereignty and legal niceties, but the Department of Justice has unsealed serious narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges that explain the urgency. The real question is whether we will let indicted dictators export death into our streets or whether we will use every lawful tool to stop them.
Secretary Rubio’s attempt to walk back talk of long-term governance while promising economic pressure—an oil quarantine and sanctions enforcement—shows the administration understands the need for both hard power and smart leverage. Conservatives should support a policy that combines precise military action with economic pressure to force real behavioral change from Caracas.
The Democrats’ reflexive outrage and calls for hearings are predictable but hollow; many of those same lawmakers did nothing while Venezuela fell into tyranny, corruption, and cartel rule. If Congress wants to be taken seriously, Republican and Democrat alike should vote for clear authorities and resources to finish the mission: secure our borders, stop the drugs, and restore order in our hemisphere.
This moment is a reminder that American strength still matters and that when our leaders back our military and intelligence community, remarkable things happen. We must stand by our troops, demand a sober and effective plan to stabilize the region, and never apologize for protecting American lives and prosperity. The days of appeasement are over; it’s time to reclaim peace through strength.
