The latest Pentagon announcement that U.S. forces struck another vessel in the Eastern Pacific and killed four people alleged to be narco-terrorists is the sort of decisive action this country desperately needs to disrupt the cartels that poison our streets. The administration says these vessels were confirmed by intelligence to be operating along known narco-trafficking routes and carrying narcotics, and it is past time we treat transnational drug networks like the security threat they are.
This is not an isolated incident but part of a sustained campaign that began in September and has included dozens of kinetic strikes against boats the administration says were linked to designated terrorist or criminal organizations. Critics will count bodies and demand hearings, but the reality is that these operations were launched in response to a crisis on our borders and in our cities that previous administrations refused to confront.
Still, the establishment media and some lawmakers are attempting to turn legal and ethical questions into a political cudgel, rehashing allegations that senior officials authorized follow-up strikes that killed survivors. Those reports have sparked legitimate oversight inquiries — and rightly so — but they must not be used as cover for those who would prefer to handcuff our military and let cartels operate with impunity.
Human Rights Watch and other critics have predictably labeled the maritime strikes unlawful, charging the administration with extrajudicial killings and demanding proof that these were more than routine drug interdictions. Humanitarian concerns deserve scrutiny, but the same organizations that howl about due process often ignore the daily carnage cartels unleash on civilians and our communities. Oversight must be rigorous, but it should not be reflexively weaponized to protect criminal networks.
On his show, Jesse Watters challenged the performative outrage from Democratic lawmakers and liberal media, asking when taking out terrorists became a scandal and why political theater is prioritized over public safety. That critique resonates because too many in power reflexively side with procedural outrage while refusing to acknowledge the real victims of the drug trade and the failures that allowed cartels to flourish.
Conservatives should demand two things at once: fierce support for commanders and troops who execute dangerous missions and relentless oversight to ensure missions comply with law and morality. We will not win the war on drugs by lectures and press releases; we win it by breaking cartel operations, shutting down smuggling lanes, and holding accountable any official who crosses legal lines — but not by letting partisan fury stop necessary action. The choice is stark: defend our borders and citizens, or appease those who would rather debate than defeat the cartels.
