Left-column comments from our contributing pundits are overwhelmingly negative about the Trump administration’s takeover of Venezuelan, even if there’s agreement removal of President Nicolás Maduro is a good thing. Please be sure to scroll down with the trackbar in this column to read all pundits’ comments, and don’t miss Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s comments in the right column. Email your own to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate whether you’re right or left in the subject line.
Final Days -- According to reports from The Guardian, Delcy Rodriguez quickly changed her tone after Trump's "warning," which sounded more like a threat. Apparently, everyone is afraid of him and his administration seems unwilling to rein him in. We are witnessing the last days of democracy. –Sharon Lintner
Step One in the New ‘Donroe Doctrine’ -- It's hard to say why we removed Maduro from Venezuela. What is for regime change, to steal the oil (that was somehow ours even though it was nationalized just as Saudi Arabia's oil was nationalized), to stem the flow of drugs from a country that contributes far less to that problem than other South American countries, or as a signal to Russia that we'll exchange influence over Venezuela for Russian dominance over Ukraine?
I think it was most likely step one in the new "Donroe Doctrine" that calls for the U.S. to attack any South or Central American country with a left-leaning leader and replace him or her with a far-right government.
Is this what we want? A constant state of war in the Western Hemisphere, while we let China take Taiwan and Russia take Ukraine then move on to other Eastern European countries? Welcome to the new world order. –K.E. Bell
Déjà Vu – This is déjà vu all over again. In 1990, the United States conducted a similar operation when it kidnapped Panamanian dictator Mãnuel Noriega. The current intervention appears to be a violation of international law, but as in Noriega’s case, the courts will no doubt rule in favor of the US. –Joe Lintner
Feels Kind of Good, Until … Doesn't it all feel good, even in some slightly shameful way, even to us center-lefties, that an undeniably bad man has been ousted by our techno-military excellence with almost no cost to (US) resources and no loss of (US) life? (And, it seems, minimal-as-war-goes cost in Venezuelan lives.)
I confess, it does. Until I see President Trump say Ms. Machado "doesn't have the respect," which means "doesn't have [his] respect," which reminds me how despicably his respect is won. Until JD Vance talks about legality and calls it a PSA. Until I see Hegseth credited as, well, honestly, as having anything whatsoever to do with this operation. Honestly, what would I give to be a fly on the wall of Secretary Rubio's frontal cortex? -- Hugh Hansen
Done with colonialism -- Venezuela is a sovereign nation. The administration’s apparent belief that it can openly covet — and even seize — other countries and their natural resources is both outrageous and without modern precedent, defying established diplomatic norms. One can only question whether the invasion of Venezuela sets the stage for similar hostilities toward Greenland, a territory President Trump has previously and explicitly stated should belong to the United States.
The age of colonialism is long past, and the former global powers that pursued it ultimately paid a steep price, both politically and morally. As John F. Kennedy observed, “The United States has repeatedly disavowed colonialism. This nation was born in revolution against it.” Any return to such thinking would inflict incalculable damage on America’s global reputation and credibility and must come to an end. –Joel Postman
Stop the President – If Congress and the judiciary don’t shut (the president) down we are one step closer to losing our democracy. Also, this gives dictatorships an open invitation to invade where they will. He’s not only hurting Americans. He’s going for the world. A clueless, old narcissist with some serious mental issues in the most powerful job in the world. It’s terrifying. And to think, there are citizens of this country who still support him. –Kate McLeod