General Dan “Raizin” Caine is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He briefed the press on Operation Absolute Resolve to apprehend Venezuelan tyrant Nicolás Maduro. The operation involved more than 150 aircraft from around the Western Hemisphere. He said it represented the “culmination of months of planning and rehearsal.”
General Caine’s performance reminded me of Colin Powell’s when he served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the immediate aftermath of Operation Just Cause ousting Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. For those who thought those days were gone, as they seemed to be, the implicit message here is that they are back.
Brit Hume commented on X: “The Maduro capture, coupled with the air attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, suggest an extraordinary level of skill, technology and daring. Precisely the opposite signal from that sent by the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.” He might have added, “Under the previous administration of Joe Biden.”
We shall see what happens next. I agree with Elliott Abrams writing at the Free Press: “Let the Venezuelan People Run Venezuela.”
I was out visiting a friend yesterday during the press conference and caught up with the press conference on YouTube. In case you missed it, I think you are likely to find the video worth your time.
Quotable quote: “Those in the air over Caracas last night were willing to give their lives for those on the ground and in the helicopters.” That is, they were all willing to give their lives.
