Retired Gen. Jack Keane told viewers on Life, Liberty & Levin that the U.S. military operation in Venezuela was “flawlessly executed,” and he hailed the professionalism and precision of our special operations forces in the mission to remove a dangerous narco-authoritarian from power. His praise was not empty talk — Keane, a soldier’s soldier, put the operation in the context of years of failed diplomacy and soft-handed approaches that allowed Maduro to metastasize into a regional threat.
In the pre-dawn hours of January 3, 2026, U.S. forces carried out a bold raid in Caracas that resulted in the capture and extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; officials say he was flown to U.S. custody and is facing federal charges. The dramatic action was the culmination of a long effort to hold transnational narcotraffickers and state sponsors of violence accountable, and it signaled that American resolve — not endless speeches and sanctions theater — can change the facts on the ground.
Maduro’s first court appearance in New York was no circus; he pleaded not guilty and attempted to spin his capture as unjust while undercutting his own claim to legitimacy. This is how the rule of law looks when it’s applied to foreign despots who trafficked poison into American streets — brought to heel in a U.S. courtroom rather than basking in impunity.
Keane’s point was straightforward and patriotic: our troops did what America asked, executing a precise operation that minimized American casualties and struck at a regime that trafficked drugs and terror. Conservatives should be proud that the men and women in uniform carried out this mission with courage and discipline, and that our leaders finally acted decisively instead of taking endless lectures from the international peanut gallery.
The fallout extends to Havana, where Cuba’s brittle economy — long propped up by Venezuelan oil — is now showing the strain of losing its patron. Experts and regional observers have warned that Cuba’s lifeline from Caracas has been severed and that the island nation is teetering under mismanagement and sanctions-era pressures, a reality that proves communist regimes cannot survive without corrupt patronage.
Yes, the move drew howls from the usual chorus of diplomats and international organizations, but let’s be blunt: cowardice and moralizing won’t save the Venezuelan people or stop Mexican and Caribbean narco-networks that poison our towns. International hand-wringing can wait while real Americans in uniform do the hard work of dismantling criminal regimes that traffic in misery and chaos.
Now Congress and the American people must back the mission, support our troops, and demand clarity about the next steps to stabilize the region. We owe those service members and intelligence officers more than partisan sniping — we owe them a united country that stands behind decisive action to protect American lives and restore liberty to oppressed peoples in our hemisphere.
