We Just Conquered Venezuela

I think Trump may have just started World War III.

Trump's invasion of Venezuela doesn't make sense on the surface.  He made it clear that it was about oil.  In fact, there's no strategic advantage to an American occupation of Venezuela.  But there's no economic advantage to taking control of their oil either. at least not in the foreseeable future, because there's a global supply of oil clearly bigger than the demand, and the demand may lessen as industrialized countries other than the United States pursue renewable energy.  But when you realize that Venezuela is just the first step in imposing an American sphere of influence on the entire Western Hemisphere, even as American oil companies can go in and take over the petroleum infrastructure, then it begins to make perfect sense.  Manifest destiny.

It also puts us on Trump's agenda.  American domination of the Western Hemisphere is what he wants to talk about - not about Jeffrey Epstein, not about health care, not about a runaway Supreme Court . . . and so we're going to discuss Venezuela instead.  Trump is already looking at hoping to expand into Canada and still trying to figure out how to acquire Greenland for all of the various resources they have, and Greenland has rare-earth minerals in abundance, more than any place outside China . . ..  We won't need them, because Trump has more or less made it impossible to sell electric vehicles in this country, but other countries will.

Progressive commentators insist that Trump has turned his back on his own followers, the forgotten men and women of the industrial heartland who wanted him to focus on Americans first and that they will, in turn, turn their back on Trump.  Not so fast.  Many of Trump's supporters are comfortable and well-employed and well-fed (though Steve Bannon isn't well-groomed or well-bathed), and they're all in on this escapade.  They'll immediately point out that Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan dictator, was despised not just by the Venezuelan people but by the whole world - not unlike Trump - and no one is shedding tears for his arrest and extradition.  Like, how can you argue with that?  You can't.  And Trump himself will quickly point out, if he hasn't already, that Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism and cocaine importation, and that means one more drug runner out of business.  Such an argument would have more resonance coming from a President who did not pardon the drug-running former Honduran president for sending enough tons of cocaine to the States to kill as many "gringos" as possible.

And who will be running Venezuela in the time it takes for the Venezuelan people to establish a new government on their own?

These guys.

Gee, what could go wrong?

I suppose I could send the White House a strongly worded letter about this, but who do you think I am, Charles Ellis Schumer????

Americans don't want any more foreign invasions or nation-building.  I don't have much hope, however, for those who go out to protest this invasion.  Yes, it's about oil.  At least Trump, dishonest as he usually is, is honest enough to admit it.  But, as with the war in Iraq twenty years ago, if you are against wars for oil, don't show up at a demonstration in a large SUV unless it runs on electricity.    If you do have a gasoline-powered SUV with a "War Is Not the Answer" bumper sticker on it, I propose that you either remove the bumper sticker or convert your vehicle to run on biodiesel.