Invading a foreign country and arresting its President and his wife in the middle of the night and extraditing them to the United States is a bold move.
Its aftermath also poses substantial risks in that the leadership vacuum that follows (no matter how illegitimate the prior leadership was) can easily lead to chaos in the country.
It brings to mind the words of the late General Colin Powell who cited the "Pottery Barn Rule" before the 2003 Iraq War.
"You break it. You own it."
In other words, once you invade and overthrow a government, you are responsible for rebuilding and governing that country, which is usually significantly more difficult than getting the bad actors out.
I don't know how things will work out in Venezuela.
I do know that Nicolas Maduro and his inner circle were very bad actors.
I do know that the Venezuelan people have suffered enormously since the Socialists took over the country in 1999.
Over 70% of the population is living in poverty.
The inflation rate is more than 500%.
25 years ago, when the Socialists took control of Venezuela, it had a higher GDP than Poland.
Poland chose capitalism and the free market.
Venezuela went with the collectivism that Poland had been living under since the end of World War II.
Look what happened next.
Venezuela used to be the wealthiest country in South America.
It is now the poorest.
An estimated 8 million people (20% of the population) have fled Venezuela in just the last decade for either economic or political reasons.
I don't know how Democrats can be so opposed to bringing a Venezuelan criminal into the United States to face justice when they had no problem in bringing the worst criminal elements from Venezuela into our country during the Biden years?
This is one of the funniest memes I saw on X in the aftermath of the U.S. action.
Note that it actually came from the official X account of the Department of Homeland Security.
A lot has changed in 12 months!
I also know that Venezuela, due to its economic ills, has become increasingly dependent on Russia, China and Iran for survival. That reliance has also meant increasing security risks to the United States due to their presence and influence in that country.
In fact, when the U.S. operation took place, the Venezuelan Vice President was in Russia and Maduro had hosted a Chinese delegation at his palace that evening.`
A succession of U.S. Presidents (G.W. Bush, Obama, Biden) all talked tough about Venezuela but stood idly by and did nothing about the the corruption, chaos and increasing Communist influence, investment and intervention in that country.
This tweet from Biden in June, 2020 did not age well.
What exactly did Biden do as President about Venezuela even while Maduro was known to have subverted the will of the people with another stolen election besides sending a strongly worded letter or tweet?
Donald Trump backed up his talk with action.
A final accounting lays ahead to determine whether this was a master stroke or a misstep by Trump.
One final thing I do know is that you cannot achieve dramatic change and results without action.
And you cannot be a great President unless you are not afraid to be great.
Most Presidents never become great because they are typical politicians. They try to play both sides. They are afraid of offending anyone. They don't take strong stands. They are risk averse. They don't put themselves out there to succeed...or fail. In short, they are afraid to be great.
I do know that Donald Trump is not afraid to be great.
Look at the first three names on most lists of the greatest Presidents.
One thing they share is that they were not afraid to be great.
George Washington was a man of privilege and prosperity. It would have been easy to forget about leading a Revolutionary Army against the British. He had it made. He had very little to gain personally by revolting against the British. He could have easily seen his life cut short on the end of a noose for treason and sedition at the hands of the British.
When Washington led his troops to victory over the British he could have also become an American monarch. At a minimum, he could have been President for the rest of his life is Xi Jinping as attempting to do in China. He walked away after two terms.
George Washington was not afraid to be great. He put it all on the line and he expected little in return.
You can say the same thing about Abraham Lincoln. He could have negotiated with the Confederacy after the southern states seceded from the union. He could have decided that it was too controversial to push for the 13th and 14th amendments. He was not afraid to take a stand. Many criticized his actions.
Abraham Lincoln was not afraid to be great. We now appreciate that courage and greatness.
Franklin Roosevelt took office as the U.S. economy was in ruins and as Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire sought to expand their borders and enslave millions of people.
Roosevelt responded aggressively to the needs of the American people with his New Deal. At times he went too far as with his attempt to stack the Supreme Court. However, he was not afraid to take action.
FDR also did not hesitate to act when the war was brought to him. He also ignored the Washington precedent on serving two terms when he thought that the country needed continuity in those turbulent times.
FDR is also best remembered for his famous line on not being afraid in his first inaugural address.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Franklin Roosevelt was not afraid to be great.
Greatness does not follow when taking the easy road. It only graces those who are not afraid of the challenge on the hard road.
Success is never assured even you step out with boldness. Trump may fail bigly in his attempt to remake and renew Venezuela for its people and the security of the United States.
However, he is not afraid to be great. That in itself is a rare commodity.
Keep that in mind as you listen to those who criticize Trump.
That includes Democrats who claim that Trump's actions in all of this were somehow illegal.
Joe Biden made sure that was not the case.
Biden is the one who stripped Maduro of head of state immunity which made the arrest lawful.
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| Link: https://x.com/amuse/status/2007883330608386539 |
It does not seem any Democrats remember that now.
In conclusion, I do know you cannot be great unless you are not afraid to be great. Trump's actions with Maduro have shown once again he is not afraid to be great.
I don't know if the Venezuelan people can realize their full potential by also showing they are not afraid to be great.
Living for over 25 years under the yoke of what the new New York Mayor calls the "warmth of collectivism", it will not be easy for Venezuelans to embrace what Mamdani refers to as the "frigidity of rugged individualism".
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| https://x.com/litnewsnet/status/2006857106369163562 |
However, that is what will be required to restore Venezuela and ratify the actions of Trump.
Change will not happen overnight, and Trump may have to work with elements of the current government and military to assure stability in the near term on the way to free and fair democratic elections in Venezuela.
Is Venezuela willing to take the opportunity Trump and the United States has provided them to show that they are not afraid to be great?
Only the history that is yet to be written knows the answer to that question.
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