In an extraordinary military operation, the United States launched a large-scale military operation in Caracas, Venezuela with special forces seizing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. There is a pending 2020 indictment of Maduro in the Southern District of New York where he is expected to be taken to face prosecution.
The operation comes not long after the 37th anniversary of the capture of Manuel Antonio Noriega on December 20, 1989. Noriega was convicted of drug and money laundering offenses and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was tried in Miami, Florida.
He was indicted in a four-count superseding indictment with Diosdado Cabello Rondón, 56, head of Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly; Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios aka “El Pollo,” 59, former director of military intelligence; Clíver Antonio Alcalá Cordones, 58, former General in the Venezuelan armed forces; Luciano Marín Arango aka “Ivan Marquez,” 64, a member of the FARC’s Secretariat, which is the FARC’s highest leadership body; and Seuxis Paucis Hernández Solarte aka “Jesús Santrich,” 53, a member of the FARC’s Central High Command, which is the FARC’s second-highest leadership body.
This operation will be justified as executing the criminal warrant and responding to an international drug cartel, a very similar legal framework to the one used against Noriega. There is precedent supporting that earlier operation, which will now be used to defend the actions in Venezuela.
Here is part of the earlier description from the Justice Department of the indicted conduct:
“Maduro helped manage and ultimately lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. As he gained power in Venezuela, Maduro participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated with narcotics traffickers in Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and solicited assistance from FARC leadership in training an unsanctioned militia group that functioned, in essence, as an armed forces unit for the Cartel of the Suns. In March 2020, Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.”
Democratic members quickly denounced the operation as unlawful. They may want to review past cases, particularly the decision related to the Noriega prosecution after his capture by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
Representative Jim McGovern (D., Mass) declared:
“Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela. He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans—but somehow we have unlimited funds for war??”
Trump does not need congressional approval for this type of operation. Presidents, including Democratic presidents, have launched lethal attacks regularly against individuals. President Barack Obama killed an American citizen under this “kill list” policy. If Obama can vaporize an American citizen without even a criminal charge, Trump can capture a foreign citizen with a pending criminal indictment without prior congressional approval.
Ordinarily, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and other international agreements require the United States to notify the embassy of a foreign national arrested and held in the United States. Notice seems a tad superfluous in this case.
In his appeal, Noriega argued that his arrest violated international law under the head-of-state immunity doctrine. The district court rejected Noriega’s head-of-state immunity claim because the United States government never recognized Noriega as Panama’s legitimate ruler — an argument that will be made in the Maduro prosecution.
The United States for the Eleventh Circuit also rejected the immunity claim.
Noriega also argued that his capture violated the Treaty Providing for the Extradition of Criminals, May 25, 1904, United States of America-Republic of Panama, 34 Stat. 2851 (“U.S.-Panama Extradition Treaty”). The Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Alvarez-Machain, 504 U.S. 655 (1992), however, was found to bar this argument. The issue was whether he was abducted to the United States with a superseding extradition treaty. The Eleventh Circuit held:
The article of the U.S.-Panama Extradition Treaty upon which Noriega relies for his extradition treaty claim contains almost the same language as the provision of the U.S.-Mexico Extradition Treaty at issue in Alvarez-Machain. See U.S.-Panama Extradition Treaty, art. 5 (“Neither of the contracting parties shall be bound to deliver up its own citizen or subject ․”)…
Under Alvarez-Machain, to prevail on an extradition treaty claim, a defendant must demonstrate, by reference to the express language of a treaty and/or the established practice thereunder, that the United States affirmatively agreed not to seize foreign nationals from the territory of its treaty partner. Noriega has not carried this burden, and therefore, his claim fails.
The Noriega case offers ample support for the Trump Administration, which has had an outstanding arrest warrant for over five years. He is not viewed as the duly elected leader of Venezuela and has been tied to a criminal drug cartel.
The action will also have a major impact on foreign policy. The Monroe Doctrine just became the Trump Doctrine. This action not only confronted Venezuela but also Cuba, which was supplying the security around Maduro. Presumably, Cuban security may have been involved in the firefight. While cutting off vital oil to Cuba, the Trump Administration just delivered a blow against the Cuban regime — arguably one of the most stinging defeats since crushing the Cuban forces in Grenada in 1983.
Legally, Trump has the upper hand in this case. Maduro will replay the arguments from the Noriega case. However, he presents an even weaker case on the merits under the controlling precedent than did Noriega.
N.B.: This column also appeared on Fox.com
He should have taken an exit earlier with his money and opened a child care in Minnesota, now maybe he can make a deal driving a “free and safe” NYC bus?
Will be interesting to see of maga continues to call Haley and others on the GOP Right “warmongers”. Trump has outdone the neo-cons.
Seizing a drug trafficker in a foreign country happens regularly. I would not call this apprehension starting a foreign war. It is no different than killing Pablo Escobar or arresting Noriega, El Pina. Narco terrorists designated legally as such with warrants issued by a US court. Just happened to be a dictator in our own hemisphere this time that’s been busily working with our adversaries to destabilize us .
Well, two of our most favored political pejoratives today are accusations that those we disagree with are either “warmongers” or “neo-cons”. Populist politics and politicians on both sides of the isle just LOVE using those and other terms as loaded political language – an appeal to voters’ emotions rather than an appeal to the rational mind. My favorite neo-con, a newly conservative former liberal, was President Reagan.
Now there was a president who was truly a unifier of Americans, one who many Democrats would actually listen to and regularly support.
Turley’s remarks about the Trump/Munroe doctrine are a very good observation.
Trump reflets a transformation of US policy that was happening regardless – but happens faster under Trump.
The US is shifting its focus From Europe, the mideast and Aftrica to the Western Hemisphere and the pacific rim.
Ukraine is not in the US interest. Venezeulla is.
How americans will view this over the long run depends on what happens next.
If Venezuella returns to decent govenrment quickly without the involvment of US forces – Trump will be a hero.
If Venezuella remains a failed state – Trump will be in deep schiff.
I would further note this is just one of the first dominos.
This directly and negatively impacts Iran, Russia, Cuba and China.
“Trump can do no wrong, and Democrats must be silenced.” The Turley free speech blog, in a nutshell.
Not what everybody else took away from the article. Turley was very clear; he didn’t personally express political support for Trump. It explained the legal reasoning behind the action. Reread it please. And, you’re welcome!
Turley’s legal reasoning is BS.
“Trump can do nothing right, and Democrat apparatchiks here will fanatically troll Turley for publishing anything favorable to what Trump does or says.”
Democrat mindset in a nutshell. FREE MADURO!!!
Trump wants his Mobil Peace Prize.
Buy oil means he has earned a Chevron! Developers develop…
And does this mean I’m going to lose my access to profitable Venezuelan drugs?
Heck no! You can actually get a special deal with your very own fast boat and crew loaded up with kilos of your favorite. By all means you should apply at the dockside.
To be consistent, Putin should be next. God knows he has committed thousands of war crimes.
Let the Ukrainians do that one.
Why is it acceptable for the U.S. military to free Venezuela but not Ukraine?
Different continent, plus Ukraine has allies in Europe, and they can foot the bill.
France was in that continent in 1944. And still is, as far as I know.
We did not go to war to free france – Germany declared war on the US.
Monroe Doctrine. Remember that?
I wasn’t aware that Putin had been indicted.
Venezuela is not a large nuclear state with the most powerful army in its neighbourhood. While there is a risk of some degree of instability arising from the Venezuelan operation, it pales in comparison to the risk of destruction for Ukraine and Europe that could arise from a similar operation in Russia.
Dictators with nukes are winning when America caves in to them.
Acting dictator like Zelensky, could be fighting and winning the war against Russia if he was not embezzling millions of dollars in aid with his cronies, lower the draft age to 18, get all those military aged males back to the Ukraine to fight against Russia, rather than expecting and crying for Americans to do it for him.
UpstateFarmer posted: Acting dictator like Zelensky, could be fighting and winning the war against Russia if he was not embezzling millions of dollars in aid.
Them dumb Ukrainians and that acting dictator Zelinsky/Biden/Obama had the Ukraine military fighting right beside us from the very first day to the last day in OUR wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. TWENTY YEARS! The Ukraine morons even continued doing that after we let Putin invade their country not once, but twice! And we never for a single day they were fighting beside us in our wars told them “This is our war, not your war; go home!”
UpstateFarmer, do you believe you would wringing your hands about what we’ve been spending on Ukraine if Ukraine had originally said instead, “No, we don’t trust you Americans and your Republican and Democrat presidents. We reject what you’re offering and we’re keeping our 3,300 tactical and strategic nukes and the delivery platforms for them that are currently pointed at Russia!”?
We’ve given them billions of dollars – after repeatedly allowing Putin to invade Ukraine. If Ukraine/Ukrainians are only about how to get billions of foreign dollars, how many billions of dollars, along with weaponry they didn’t have could Ukraine have gotten by instead keeping all those nukes and selling a few of them to Iran, the DPRK, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc or assorted hajji terrorist groups?
The question that’s the unmentioned and unwanted elephant in the room of those who hate anything America does for Ukraine since we allowed Putin to invade while Ukraine was fighting beside us in our wars (whether they’re as corrupt as us or not) is this:
What did Bush and then Clinton successfully offer Ukraine that was more valuable than Ukraine’s option to keep those nukes as a deterrent with Russia on their borders? While at the same time Ukraine could be selling some of them around the world for tens/hundreds of billions of dollars – almost certainly to nations who were adversarial to America and our interests?
Did those US presidents get Ukraine to agree to surrender all those nukes with promises we would only provide them with non-lethal aid like Cold War era blankets and rations to fight on with alone if they were attacked in the future – pretty much all that they got from Obama?
That’s the promise those US presidents made to Ukraine that convinced them to surrender all those nukes? Non-lethal aid to fight on alone with?
Did those US presidents promise Ukraine that, in exchange for those valuable 3,300 nukes that were their deterrent, we would reluctantly do a bit better than Obama did, and only give them some Patriot missiles and other weaponry – with LOTS of restrictions on how they could fight the war with those weapons – as Trump did in his first term? Or since then, a year into his first term – attempting to force them to give portions of their sovereign country to Putin in exchange for our American version of what they should give up? Mixed with more weapons with restrictions on their use and money – along with threats?
That’s the more promise those US presidents made to Ukraine that sealed the deal and convinced Ukraine to give up those deterrent nukes and the billions they could have made by selling a few to enemy nations?
And at any point did the nations of what is now the EU make any promises along with those being made by our US presidents at the time to sweeten the deal to convince Ukraine to surrender those nukes? Or did those US Presidents make the deal without involving those nations who compose the EU today? Did we tell those nations at the time “If Ukraine is in fact attacked after we make this deal, the responsibility for dealing with that aggression is primarily on you, not on us – you just don’t get to be part of what we promise Ukraine to make them fall for our promises”?
Tell us: you have a rational economic mind – emotions aside, what specifically did we promise Ukraine? What specifically did we offer from the USA that convinced them to surrender those valuable deterrent nukes to prevent them selling some of them while keeping the remainder pointed at Russia as a deterrent? What promises were more valuable than turning us down and keeping those nuclear weapons?
We all know that you cannot prove a negative, but Putin wouldn’t have set one foot in Ukraine if those nukes were still pointed at Russia and a threat to making Putin and every one around him part of the new glass parking lot that was once Red Square.
We had very good reason for wanting those 3,300 nukes out of Ukraine’s hands. Other than Ukraine selling some of them, there was a real concern that a senior Ukraine military officer might want to take out revenge on Russia for the butchery that was Stalin’s Holdimor with just one of those weapons. Both American presidents had many good reasons concerning American security to promise Ukraine something more valuable to Ukraine than having those thousands of tactical and strategic nukes.
We are better off and safer by successfully promising Ukraine something that got those nukes out of their hands. Some of us will now attempt to claim, now that Ukraine is no longer a nuclear nation, that Ukraine and whatever might happen there is not an American concern. It’s Europe’s concern instead (even though the nations of today’s EU weren’t part of our deal with Ukraine).
But we didn’t convince Ukraine to surrender all their nukes in exchange for promises of non-lethal aid and eventually lethal aid (with restrictions attached) and money while telling them “But you’ll still be fighting alone, with only what you have for a military force and whatever military equipment we decide we might give to you”.
And we wouldn’t be babbling about Ukraine and NATO if whatever America promised Ukraine in the way of a replacement deterrent was even better than NATO membership all the military responsibilities that come along with that membership.
What country needs NATO membership and its military requirements for protection if the US has made a trustworthy promise to guaranteed your nation’s sovereignty and national security?
USF
I read that the Ukraine held a Special election for President. The vote was restricted to all males over 21 to 65 years of age. Reportedly, Zelensky won hands down with the second deciding vote being cast by his brother living in Miami via mail in ballot.
Everyone else of age is dead.
Russia has the second most powerful Army in Ukraine. Were it not for the tremendous amount of dead men walking Russia would have had to quit long ago.
In any case, Putin was on American soil not long ago. It would have been simple to put on the handcuffs and send him to Gitmo.
I wonder whether the hypersonic nuclear warhead missile or Putin would have arrived first… hmmmm?! Idiot
Location, location, location…
Why is it acceptable for the U.S. military to free Venezuela but not Ukraine?
Why do you think it is acceptable for you to attempt that non sequitur and then finish your Democrat Deflect And Disappear? Instead of at least posting more than that single sentence to explain why both situations are in fact the same?
Because Russia/Ukrain are not US interests.
Venezuella is.
John Say says Because Russia/Ukrain are not US interests.
Libertarian logic says that America has no interests in Ukraine. Were they saying that when we watched Bush and then Clinton make some kind of promises from the USA to Ukraine for some apparently unjustifiable reason that wasn’t in America’s interests in order to convince Ukraine to surrender all those nukes?
I don’t remember any Libertarian leader making that claim at the time that deal was successfully pulled off in order to ensure Ukraine no longer had (as Trump is fond of reminding us) “No cards”. I will go out on a limb after a brief web search failed to find a libertarian, including the Paul family, denouncing that deal: not a single Libertarian was saying “Ukraine is not a US interest!” at that time.
Then for 20 years while Ukraine spent money and troops to fight beside us in our war in Afghanistan, both before and after two successive Democrat presidents allowed Putin to invade Ukraine (doing so perhaps because they also believed Ukraine was not a US interest), not a single Libertarian voice in the wilderness was publicly saying “They were correct to allow that because Ukraine is not a US interest. Furthermore, this is our war, not Ukraine’s, and they have no business or interest in fighting our wars here in Afghanistan and Iraq”.
Another web search on “Libertarians who oppose Ukraine fighting beside American military in Afghanistan and Iraq” fails to turn up a single Libertarian voicing that opposition.
Libertarian logic regarding the second and third order effects on the leaders of world’s nations watching America renege on the promises made to the ally fighting beside us for every day of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is equally suspect.
What, specifically, do Libertarians believe we promised Ukraine so successfully that convinced Ukraine to surrender all those nukes, rather than keeping most of them pointed at our adversarial nation, Russia, while selling others to countries like Iran and the DPRK?
Rational libertarian minds would like to know.
I think Venezuela is slightly closer to the US than is the Ukraine.
Is there a warrant out for his arrest? Have you changed your profile pic to “free Maduro” yet?
Consistency is not Trump’s strong point.
Don’t be ridiculous. Venezuela and Ukraine are not even remotely comparable situations
Consistency is not Trump’s strong point.
Translation: BBBBUUTTT…. MUH TRUMPPP!!! I DEMAND HAVING THE CONSISTENCY OF THE OVAL OFFICE HOUSE PLANT, MY AUTOPEN PRESIDENT, BEING BROUGHT BACK IN 2028!!!!
There are myriads of vile world leaders as bad or worse than Putin.
Dealing with Russia is NOT a US interest.
Dealing with Venezuella is.
So is the same for Zelensky? How about Bibi or Bill Clinton, GW Bush, Obama and Biden? Please elaborate on your indictment.
The issue here isn’t “war crimes”. It’s US national security and security in the Western Hemisphere. Putin is about as relevant in this discussion as Iran. This is all about taking care of things in our own backyard
The Democrats have become the Party of Lawlessness and Hate. Their TDS is in rabid form. They have gone so far that most people now don’t even hear their back-up alarm………….
“For my next trick, watch me make the Democrats nominate Maduro for the Nobel Peace Prize” ~ President Trump
Gordy that is absolutely hilarious. Spit up my coffee.
Great morning chuckle, and in Maine’s current deep freeze, I needed it. Thanks!
Gordy….LOL! From your lips to Karl Marx’s ears!
(now, which Marx Brother was he??)
“which Marx Brother was he?”
“Dippo”, DamnedNanny’s inspiration…
Well, maybe not all Democrats. 🙃
https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/2007507481979945442
I wonder if he’ll be the next one to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent, like Kyrsten Sinema did in 2022 or Joe Manchin in 2024. Ever since his stroke, it’s almost like he had a political realignment.
FAFO
Democracy won this round over fascist Democrats. The little fascists can cry a river.
Exactly how did democracy win this round?
Let fascist Democrats cry a river. They have no legal or moral standing. Fascist Democrats have cozied up to dictators throughout history, from Hitler to Stalin to Castro to Chavez to Xi. Too bad, little fascists. Democracy won this round.
Why did you select the names of dead persons? Minus Xi, who Trump cozied up to.
And who are/were the fascist democrat’s who cozied up with those dead people?
Im a proud democrat. I’m not nor are any of my fellow democrats fascists. You need to stop sniffing glue.
Wally
If you’re proud to be a Democrat then you have no shame.
stop sniffing glue.. I was going to say the same thing to you.
Wally is a proud Demorat. Demorat approval rating is “south of 20%”.
As far south as Venezuela?
Yet, you behave like one and support fascists policies, like censorship.
Wally, you started snorting your own farts again after learning your dealer was losing his source of Venezuelan drugs, didn’t you? That’s what was killing your brain cells in the first place.
In the meantime, Senator Chris van Hollen is preparing a fresh pitcher of Margheritas to bring comfort to the newest “Maryland man” and his wife.
gdonaldallen……that is so damn funny.
Conversely, Russia could determine Zelensky is a criminal under their laws and bomb Kyiv and militarily seize his wife and him, For that matter any country could do the same. More likely a diversion from the Epstein Files.
“diversion from the Epstein Files.” Anybody want fruit cake for breakfast?
Russia tried that already.
Oooh, they might “determine Zelenskyy is a criminal”??? Oh no, what would they do next? Maybe invade with 100,000 troops or bomb the capital and other cities every night for 3 years?
Well, seeing as how much Zelensky and his cronnies have embezzled so much money from all the aid we sent them, why not? Zelensky has been given the opportunity for a peace deal how many times but he keeps it going to keep the money flowing to him and his buddies. And, if there is a peace deal, then there will be elections and he is not polling very well. How long do you think he will stay out of jail if he is not in power?
UpstateFarmer posted: Zelensky has been given the opportunity for a peace deal how many times but he keeps it going to keep the money flowing to him and his buddies.
Are those peace deals that involve Ukraine being coerced into “peace deals” that require them to surrender parts of Ukraine, including the portions they have taken back from Putin, precisely what US presidents Bush and Clinton promised Ukraine to disarm them of all their nuclear weapons and reduce them to what Trump likes to point out is having “No cards” with which to deal with Putin?
UpstateFarmer, do you believe you would wringing your hands about what we’ve been spending on Ukraine if Ukraine had originally said instead, “No, we don’t trust you Americans and your Republican and Democrat presidents. We reject what you’re offering and we’re keeping our 3,300 tactical and strategic nukes and the delivery platforms for them that are currently pointed at Russia!”?
Your rational mind believes it’s only about how Ukraine can get billions of dollars, because we’ve given them billions of dollars – after American presidents repeatedly allowing Putin to invade Ukraine despite the fact they’d been fighting beside us in OUR wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for 14 years prior to Putin’s first invasion?
Does that same rational mind of yours not believe that if Ukraine/Ukrainians are only about how to get billions of foreign dollars, Ukraine couldn’t have possibly raised billions of dollars fourteen years earlier – WITHOUT getting invaded – by rejecting our promises and instead keeping all those nukes? Then getting billions of dollars without the USA by selling a few of them to Iran, the DPRK, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc or assorted hajji terrorist groups?
The question that’s the unmentioned and unwanted elephant in the room of those who hate anything America does for Ukraine since we allowed Putin to invade while Ukraine was fighting beside us in our wars (whether they’re as corrupt as us or not) is this:
What did Bush and then Clinton successfully offer Ukraine that was more valuable than Ukraine’s option to keep those nukes as a deterrent with Russia on their borders? While at the same time Ukraine could be selling some of them around the world for tens/hundreds of billions of dollars – almost certainly to nations who were adversarial to America and our interests?
Did those US presidents get Ukraine to agree to surrender all those nukes with promises we would only provide them with non-lethal aid like Cold War era blankets and rations to fight on with alone if they were attacked in the future – pretty much all that they got from Obama?
That’s the promise those US presidents made to Ukraine that convinced them to surrender all those nukes? Non-lethal aid to fight on alone with?
Did those US presidents promise Ukraine that, in exchange for those valuable 3,300 nukes that were their deterrent, we would reluctantly do a bit better than Obama did, and only give them some Patriot missiles and other weaponry – with LOTS of restrictions on how they could fight the war with those weapons – as Trump did in his first term? Or since then, a year into his first term – attempting to force them to give portions of their sovereign country to Putin in exchange for our American version of what they should give up? Mixed with more weapons with restrictions on their use and money – along with threats?
That’s the more promise those US presidents made to Ukraine that sealed the deal and convinced Ukraine to give up those deterrent nukes and the billions they could have made by selling a few to enemy nations?
And at any point did the nations of what is now the EU make any promises along with those being made by our US presidents at the time to sweeten the deal to convince Ukraine to surrender those nukes? Or did those US Presidents make the deal without involving those nations who compose the EU today? Did we tell those nations at the time “If Ukraine is in fact attacked after we make this deal, the responsibility for dealing with that aggression is primarily on you, not on us – you just don’t get to be part of what we promise Ukraine to make them fall for our promises”?
Tell us: you have a rational economic mind – emotions aside, what specifically did we promise Ukraine? What specifically did we offer from the USA that convinced them to surrender those valuable deterrent nukes to prevent them selling some of them while keeping the remainder pointed at Russia as a deterrent? What promises were more valuable than turning us down and keeping those nuclear weapons?
We all know that you cannot prove a negative, but Putin wouldn’t have set one foot in Ukraine if those nukes were still pointed at Russia and a threat to making Putin and every one around him part of the new glass parking lot that was once Red Square.
We had very good reason for wanting those 3,300 nukes out of Ukraine’s hands. Other than Ukraine selling some of them, there was a real concern that a senior Ukraine military officer might want to take out revenge on Russia for the butchery that was Stalin’s Holdimor with just one of those weapons. Both American presidents had many good reasons concerning American security to promise Ukraine something more valuable to Ukraine than having those thousands of tactical and strategic nukes.
We are better off and safer by successfully promising Ukraine something that got those nukes out of their hands. Some of us will now attempt to claim, now that Ukraine is no longer a nuclear nation, that Ukraine and whatever might happen there is not an American concern. It’s Europe’s concern instead (even though the nations of today’s EU weren’t part of our deal with Ukraine).
But we didn’t convince Ukraine to surrender all their nukes in exchange for promises of non-lethal aid and eventually lethal aid (with restrictions attached) and money while telling them “But you’ll still be fighting alone, with only what you have for a military force and whatever military equipment we decide we might give to you”.
And we wouldn’t be babbling about Ukraine and NATO if whatever America promised Ukraine in the way of a replacement deterrent was even better than NATO membership all the military responsibilities that come along with that membership.
What country needs NATO membership and its military requirements for protection if the US has made a trustworthy promise to guaranteed your nation’s sovereignty and national security?
USF
I can’t believe he’s still alive. He’s directly responsible for half a million deaths. Someone will take him out before it’s over.
“More likely a diversion from the Epstein Files.”
You mean the ones with all those pictures of Bill Clinton, smiling, getting all friendly with those young girls? The ones with Bill Clinton taking some 26 trips on the “Lolita Express,” to include five trips without his SS detail?
Might is right! The US just became the owner of the largest oil reserves in the world! What a maverick this President is! Proud to be an American?
Anybody want to buy a country? Elon, what about you?
Anybody want to buy a country? Elon, what about you?
Are we purchasing this one exactly like Obama and Biden repeatedly bought Iran? While Iran’s Mad Mullahs were busily killing American soldiers and our allies in Afghanistan and Iraq, while they were at the same time continuing to fund hajji terrorist groups killing Americans around the world?
Help your audience out by reminding them how much taxpayer money Obama and then Biden bought Iran with – starting with how many billions of dollars in unmarked foreign bills we gave Iran’s Mad Mullah’s secretly on those pallets of cash that looked like a Maduro/MS-13 massive drug deal with the American government in how it was done.
Or are you going to do the usual Democrat Deflect With A Dump And Disappear?
Klaus Kastner says Might is right! The US just became the owner of the largest oil reserves in the world! What a maverick this President is! Proud to be an American?
And isn’t it great that this maverick President didn’t have to pay hundreds of billions of US tax dollars to become the owner of every drop of oil in Iran like the maverick president and vice-president that made that oil purchase previously from The Mad Mullahs of Iran – while at the same time Iran was busily killing Americans in Afghanistan and funding terrorists in hajji groups killing Americans around the world!
Why did you leave that earlier and incredibly more expensive magnificent oil purchase out made by Obama and then Biden again over the last four years Klaus?
Klaus: are you proud to be an American? Or instead, proud to be a Marxist Democrat political apparatchik?
So the MSN finally admits they have been missing the mark. Yeah like the last 40+ years.
_______________________________________
“On too many stories, the press has missed the story. Because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates and not the average American. Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you.”
That changes now. The new CBS Evening News starts Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Who is MSN?
Dustoff likely meant Main Stream Media – MSM.
Anyway, CBS is now going to be run solely from the comments they get from viewers. They won’t report what is happening, they will now report what they think their target market is thinking. Their target market is now the MAGA followers of Trump, in accordance with the wishes of their new owners, Larry Ellison the billionaire and his son.
What’s fun about it is that the MAGA won’t trust CBS; they believe Alex Jones and the Fox (Entertainment) News network, so their audience won’t grow from that direction. At the same time the liberals see this as a ridiculous loss and won’t watch it either. The Trump will blame the radical left for the drop in ratings.
Maduro arrested at 3am and this column appears in my inbox at 6:10? Professor, are you working with the administration now?
Don’t forget to include the international date line.
Good observation.
Venezuela is 1 hour ahead of Turley’s time zone.
That’s lightning speed. Turley was little late, as opposed to The Christchurch Star newspaper, which managed to identify Lee Harvey Oswald before he even shot JFK. Complete with picture of him in business suit:
https://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Newspapers/Star23Nov1963/output/thumbnails/Thumbs1.asp
It would indeed look Turley had material ready beforehand, and thus is part of Operation Mockingbird.
“The assassination of John F. Kennedy as reported in The Christchurch Star 23 November 1963”
I believe that the JFK assassination was orchestrated by Meyer Lansky at the behest of the CIA, to benefit multiple bad apple players. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t piles upon piles of speculative h0r$3$h1t out there, some of which may have been deliberately planted as diversions by some of those same players. Here is a rebuttal to this contention, straight from the horse’s mouth:
The assassination of John F. Kennedy as reported in The Christchurch Star 23 November 1963
“The 23 November 1963 edition of The Christchurch Star newspaper has been digitised. Preoccupation with The Star connection intensified with the release in 1992 of Oliver Stone’s movie JFK, which used, as part of its evidence, the front page of The Star of 23 November 1963… N.B. times were taken from reports in The Christchurch Star and are New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), and may be different from those reported elsewhere.”
https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/the-christchurch-star-23-november-1963/
Representative Jim McGovern (D., Mass) declared: “Without authorization from Congress…” 29 years in office and that guy has done nothing in all that time but talk. Not a single piece of his submitted legislation has ever been passed. Never. We’re stuck with warren and markey.
Help us please. President Trump. Invade Massachusetts.
Do what I did, get out of there. I lived there for 63 years and it is so refreshing not to have Ted Kennedy, Ed Markey, Liz Warren, Seth Moulton, Katherine Clark, Jim McGovern in Congress and a nut job in the governor’s office.
So that’s where your brain damage comes from. Explains a lot.
Hey great response. I really underestimated your intelligence.
So that’s where your brain damage comes from. Explains a lot.
Stay away from those dangerous mirrors – you might get a glimpse of what the rest of the world sees when you pollute their breathing air!
b>Projection:
Channeling one’s actions onto others typically refers to the psychological concept of projection, where an emotionally disturbed individual unconsciously or deliberately attributes their own thoughts, feelings, and anti-social or criminal behaviors onto someone else. This is an internal defense mechanism which allows that mentally ill person to avoid confronting their own behavior and guilt by seeing it instead as as the thoughts and actions of another person who they despise and hate.
Don’t forget the Boston mayor!
So where are you now? Leavenworth.
I no wonder if the PRC will attack Taiwan now under the pretense of illegitimate government.
I no wonder if the PRC will attack Taiwan now under the pretense of illegitimate government.
I wonder if communist Marxist Democrats believe Trump is far less likely to oppose the ChiComs invading Ukraine the same than Obama and Putin didn’t oppose Putin invading Ukraine?
Rational Democrats would love to hear the answer to that question!
Bibi and co. strike again as they work to destroy our planet. See John 8:44 for context.
See a psychiatrist for help.
This Anonymous is trying to make it about the Jews. Hey pal, go listen to Owens, Tucker and Nick Fuentes.
Hey brain dead, you are anonymous too.
No, I am Hullbobby and everyone on here knows me and can decide to read my comments or not. You, as an Anonymous, don’t want to be identified because if we could pinpoint which Anonymous you are we would ignore every comment you make.
HOT DIGGITY DOG!!!! Venezuela is finally free (ish) after learning the hard way that you only get to vote for socialism once. Kind of ironic and sad that Trump can free Venezuela but not NYC. But God is good. I have high hopes!!
Free? Hardly. No the hard part begins. Maduro’s followers will not go down without a fight… blood will be shed, innocents will die. That is not free. Think before you comment. Please.
Guys like Anonymous think it is fine that the Cubans have lived under this madness since 1959.
Hullbobby
It’s the Cuban people’s choice to live under the Castro regime. If they don’t like it, they should arise and fight to topple it. How do you suppose Castro took power, same manner. The Cuban people were for it before they were subjected to it and against it. Remember the Bay of Pigs?
America is not the world’s policeman, only when it directly affects our national security interests and no one else’s.
In this guys mind the Soviet controlled states should have risen up for their freedom, the Chinese should rise up, the Iranians should rise up. Well the eastern Europeans did so, but it took decades. The Iranians may be doing it now after 46 years.
I also suspect that you never condemn the Gazans for not rising up against Hamas.
Fidel Castro confiscated weapons of self-defense from all Cubans after he succeeded in his coup d’état. He knew they would rise against him when he planned on later openly embracing Communism, but not before. Cubans have been imprisoned for decades for even whispering criticisms of Cuba’s dictatorship. The Human Rights Watch has condemned Cuba’s human rights violations forever. Response from Democrats? The same claptrap they always vomit when their Marxist heroes are arrested.
Watch what happens in NYC this year and following.
Bishop Robert Barron slams Zohran Mamdani’s ‘warmth of collectivism’ line: ‘For God’s sake’
He said he intended to replace ‘the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.’ Collectivism in its various forms is responsible for the deaths of at least 100 million people in the last century,” Barron wrote.
“For God’s sake, spare me the ‘warmth of collectivism.’
“Socialist and communist forms of government around the world today — Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, etc. — are disastrous,” explained Barron. “Catholic social teaching has consistently condemned socialism and has embraced the market economy, which people like Mamdani caricature as ‘rugged individualism.’
“In fact, it is the economic system that is based upon the rights, freedom and dignity of the human person.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bishop-robert-barron-slams-zohran-mamdani-warmth-collectivism-line-for-gods-sake
oh, this is where estovir got his idea that mamdani was talking about capitalism. Should put that in your bibliography, estovir.
Estovir
I am 100% sure that the CIA would gladly provide weaponry snd training to any group of Cuban exiles that wished to gear up and take out Rafael snd his pals.
It’s the Cuban people’s choice to live under the Castro regime. If they don’t like it, they should arise and fight to topple it.
Ah! The favorite choice of explanations of how communism is successful – Cubans, North Koreans are choosing to live under communist oppression because they aren’t courageous enough to die fighting with minimal weapons against an overpowering military that will not only kill them, but their entire family and anyone else close to them! Just like the hajjis in Gaza, Iran, etc and violent drug cartels work!
Oh… AND… you must remember this: These nations have ZERO impact on our national security and economic interests! Not the slightest! Just like the ChiComs don’t – if those Ughers and other Chinese want freedom, they better sharpen the ends of their chopsticks and take on the ChiCom army.
As long as not a single boot from any of those countries sets foot on our shores, they can’t possibly be any of our national security or economic interests!
Remember, what’s most important is to ignore everything else and just keep saying “America is not the world’s policeman” – while foreign nations kill Americans.
Who makes up the Chicom army?
Who makes up the Cuban army?
Their own countrymen, every revolution starts with one man and the dream of freedom. If the people shift so does their destiny, Czechoslovakia is a prime example. It fell from within as did Italy as did Chile.
Cuba would be in a much better place were it not for the USA economic blockade on the island that is revenge for the government taking the property from the ultra-rich Cubans who were paying dirt wages. Castro came to power very easily because the vast majority had been terribly abused. Some of the abusers were Americans. They were butthurt over losing access to their victims and have been in revenge mode ever since.
Maduro’s followers will not go down without a fight… blood will be shed, innocents will die. That is not free. Think before you comment. Please.
From January 2019 “Estimates suggest that thousands have died under Nicolás Maduro’s rule, with reports indicating over 5,000 extrajudicial killings in 2018 alone”
You must have taken your own advice before making that comment, correct? Will those who die in whatever violence actually does take place be more or less than those who died BEFORE this under Maduro’s communist totalitarian rule? (not counting those who died of starvation and disease in Venezuela after Maduro and the previous communist reduced it from being a wealthy nation to a nation of abject poverty without enough food to feed it’s citizens)
Add to that the unknown number who would have died in the future under Maduro’s totalitarian rule.
Please: take a few more moments of thinking to justify the logic of your comment in favor of more years of status quo Maduro rule!
Waiting… don’t do what is known around here as the Democrat Dump, Deflect And Disappear. You self-identify as having a thinking mind, so make a rational defense of your post.
If they were free their own people would have displaced Maduro, same as Castro, same as Ortega, same as rocket man, same as Xi. Tyrannical regimes come in Capitalistic flavors too, power is power whether under the heel of the boot or the weight of gold.
Why is it that the U.S. military can be used to free Venezuelans but not Ukrainians?
An argument that would be used against me is “Why don’t you go to Venezuela and free them yourself?”
I wonder why they don’t go after Netanyahu when he comes to sit with Trump? Isn’t he a criminal, as well?
Yeah… you would be wrong.
What not all the PALS who kill Jews 7/24.
Try rewriting that dustoff. Its incoherent.
You get my point.
What is your point? For those who don’t speak dustoff.
Dustoff’s point is that you are a Jew hater and all you see is Jews under every rock.
Try rewriting that dustoff. Its incoherent.
And this is why why you never brush your teeth: to avoid seeing in the bathroom mirror what normal people see when you contaminate their breathing space with the stench of your breath.
b>Projection:
Channeling one’s actions onto others typically refers to the psychological concept of projection, where an emotionally disturbed individual unconsciously or deliberately attributes their own thoughts, feelings, and anti-social or criminal behaviors onto someone else. This is an internal defense mechanism which allows that mentally ill person to avoid confronting their own behavior and guilt by seeing it instead as as the thoughts and actions of another person who they despise and hate.
Nearly 100 times the number of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as Israelis were killed, of that about 50 times the Israeli deaths are of women and children in Gaza. This in a population that is only 20% the size of Israel’s.
The Israelis have killed an average of 700 Palestinians a year for the last decade, 50% of the one time attack by Hamas on Israel, adding to 500% of the Hamas toll.
Recall that Netanyahu insisted that cash transfers to Hamas be allowed through Israeli security this whole time.
“When did the Qatari payments start?
In 2018, Qatar began making monthly payments to the Gaza Strip. Some $15 million were sent into Gaza in cash-filled suitcases – delivered by the Qataris through Israeli territory after months of negotiation with Israel.
The payments started after the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestinian government in the Israeli occupied West Bank that is a rival of Hamas, decided to cut salaries of government employees in Gaza in 2017, an Israeli government source with knowledge of the matter told CNN at the time.
Firefighters work to put out a fire in an open field, following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, near a hospital in Ashkelon, southern Israel October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
What did Israel know about Hamas’ October 7 attack?
The PA opposed the Qatari funding at the time, which Hamas said was meant for the payment of public salaries as well as medical purposes.
Israel approved the deal in a security cabinet meeting in August 2018, when Netanyahu was serving his previous tenure as premier.
Even then, Netanyahu was criticized by his coalition partners for the deal and for being too soft on Hamas.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/middleeast/qatar-hamas-funds-israel-backing-intl
No Zoltan. Netanyahu hasn’t been indicted in any US Courts.
We have opened a new chapter in international relations – the practice of seizing heads of state if it serves our political purposes. We should not be surprised if this doctrine is used against us.
If you read the column, you’ll see we did it with Noriega so there is legal precedent. Although, this doesn’t exactly give me comfort.
Against us? By who?
There’s a very long history of that in the Middle East. Europe. Asia. Africa. Caribbean. South America. Central America. All have overthrown countries’ with legitimate and not legitimate leaders. The USA is also among them. Let’s not forget the Monroe Doctrine.
Does Panama and Manuel Noriega ring a bell? Same thing, these Central and South American strongarms are making their money off narcotic importation to the world. Billions of dollars flowing into their pockets. They’re rich while their countrymen remain impoverished and other countries suffer the consequences of getting high.
edwardmahl claims: We have opened a new chapter in international relations – the practice of seizing heads of state if it serves our political purposes.
One or both of two options are available to you here after that post, Edward:
1. You’re so young that you weren’t even in primary grade school while the operation in Panama to take Noriega took place over weeks of time.
2. You jumped straight to the comments section without reading a single word of what Professor Turley wrote in that column in response to what he saw would be the claim that you’re now attempting in partnership with Democrats.
Which is it Edward, one or both?
And which nation would you like to suggest is going to similarly attempt to seize a current or former leader of the USA or any of our political parties? Particularly under Trump.
Anonymous at 2:18 pm – If we believe in stable international relations, we must recognize the immunity of a head of state from the workings of the judicial system in other countries. Even less can we accept that a head of state can be seized by the military forces of another country. Although the attempt to associate Trump with Hitler is something I have always opposed on this blog, this kind of behavior does remind us of the actions of Hitler in dealing with heads of state in central Europe, e.g., Engelbert Dollfuss and Kurt Schuschnig in Austria. The arrest of Maduro and his wife without warning at 3:oo am is eerily reminiscent of the style of the NKVD in arresting political enemies of Stalin. All that’s missing is the show trial and the bullet in the back of the neck.
Our past breaches of international law such as the seizure of Noriega and the recent unprovoked attacks on Iran do not justify the seizure of Maduro and his wife. International law is not established by what we can get away with. We must continue to believe that “might does not make right.”
Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister have both been charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Court. That court has issued arrest warrants for them and George W Bush as well. I guess they no longer travel abroad much in their quest for one world order.
You mean the “Court” that the US doesn’t recognize? Unless you are married to George Clooney.
Question is Hullbobby, what other countries DO consider them as a legitimate court?
To quote Seinfeld, “Astroturf…the Jews”.
Antisemitism is the mirror in which a man recoils from the ugliness within himself.
S. Meyer, let me help you with that: Antisemitism is the mirror in which men and women recognize and embrace the vile ugliness they love to see devouring their souls.
They aren’t recoiling from it – they’re embracing and promoting it.
I wonder why they don’t go after Netanyahu when he comes to sit with Trump? Isn’t he a criminal, as well?
I’m not the only one who wonders why Biden and the Anti-Semitic Socialist Sisterhood’s members of their Democrat New Hitler Youth Movement claim Netanyahu is a criminal.
BUT, the leaders of the equally anti-Semitic and genocidal hajji terrorist groups who picked up murdering Jews where Hitler (disappointingly) left off aren’t.
No, those terrorists are “freedom fighters” in the eyes of the Democrats’ New Hitler Youth Movement and the Anti-Semitic Socialist Sisterhood that provides the New Hitler Youth with all the affection and care their real mothers never gave them.