A couple topics today that are, as fate would have it, intertwined rather neatly.
First, some further comments on Venezuela. You'll see why.
It is axiomatic that the worst thing you can do to a Democrat is actually solve a problem, because doing so removes the Democrat’s ability to demagogue that problem.
I’m willing to bet that most folks won’t recall the events of March 9, 2015, when President Obama issued an executive order declaring the situation in Venezuela under the Maduro regime an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
They won’t remember because they recognized almost immediately that they were empty words amounting to nothing. Under the shield of not recalling this (or at least hoping to blink that we don’t remember), the Democrats are now complaining about President Trump actually putting Obama’s words into action.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Democrats and libertarians actually wanted Maduro gone; they just didn't want Orange Man Bad to be the one doing it. Trump actually had the courage to do what needed doing to actually solve the issue.
This mission designed to solve the issue was carried out skillfully, resulted in no American casualties, and accomplished all the good things associated with bringing down a drug lord. Trump did what he promised. The difference between the Obama/Biden years and the Trump years is the difference between empty promises (and profiting mightily from the problem's continuance) and actually having the courage to deliver on promises made.
The objections we see being raised to these actions have no basis in morality, truth, or principle beyond the usual chant of “Orange Man Bad.” That is particularly true when one considers the number of drone strikes carried out under Democrat rule, with no mention of congressional approval and none of the Democrats in Congress raising any questions about them.
Looking forward, Venezuela has a great chance to renew itself for the benefit of its people for a change. Also, as Rick Moran has pointed out, this is directly in line with our push for America First.
I’ll add that while the left (as usual) is decrying the U.S. “grabbing the oil,” that’s not the issue. Our prices are already coming down, as Trump opening up our own oil fields again increases our domestic supply.
Put bluntly: We don’t need the oil. China and Cuba do.
That factor completely changes the dynamics of the whole region.
As to the second topic, while some might find this odd, the dynamics of the Middle East are similarly affected, given the relationship between Venezuela and Iran.
Don’t think for a second that what’s happening in Venezuela, or the soon-to-be toppling of the Islamic terrorists running Iran and the Cuban government with them, are not connected. Consider the press release from the Treasury Department, I received on December 30:
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is targeting 10 individuals and entities based in Venezuela and Iran, including a Venezuelan company that has contributed to Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) trade with Venezuela.
“Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world,” said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. “We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military-industrial complex access to the U.S. financial system.”
This action builds on Treasury’s nonproliferation designations in October and November in support of the September 27, 2025 reimposition of United Nations sanctions and other restrictions on Iran. Iran’s UAV and missile programs threaten U.S. and allied personnel in the Middle East and destabilize commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Additionally, Iran’s ongoing provision of conventional weapons to Caracas constitutes a threat to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, including the Homeland, and the United States will use all available measures to prevent this trade.
This action is being taken in furtherance of National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs the U.S. government to curtail Iran’s ballistic missile program, counter Iran’s development of other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities, deny Iran a nuclear weapon, and deny the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) access to assets and resources that sustain their destabilizing activities. OFAC is taking this action pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferators and their supporters, and E.O. 13949, which targets property of certain persons with respect to the conventional arms activities of Iran.
Obviously, it's in not only in our interests but the interests of the entire world for these monsters to be muzzled. Charlie Martin said it well: "Trump's Not Playing Chess; He's Playing Jenga." Remove the correct piece and the whole thing falls down after a time.
Another analogy: if you’ve ever seen the movie Force 10 from Navarone (Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, etc.), you’ll understand the concept. Remove the dam upstream, and the bridge downstream that you’re targeting will collapse. The same principle applies here.
So far, the correct pieces are falling. The first step is done, with Maduro gone.That results in China losing its oil shipments from Venezuela, and so too the Cubans and the Russians. Cuba is about to fall. A quick look at Iran suggests they too are on the proverbial banana peel. Russia isn’t likely to fall under these conditions, but it certainly will find its activities — not least of them Ukraine — will at least be curtailed.
Removing Maduro was the first step. It’s just a matter of time and gravity now — and the remaining dominos will fall.
