Trump went way overboard to capture Madero.

[Irish_Dem]

I was disgusted as I listened to a USAF general go on and on and brag about
what a huge complex operation he led to capture a two bit, tinpot
dictator from a minor country. The general looks foolish and ridiculous.

Then Trump keeps saying it was the biggest military operation in ages, etc.

The military operation was done this way to impress Trump and make him
happy in a sadistic way.

Trump was also sending a message to the world.
Don't cross Trump or the US.
We will destroy you.

[Abnredleg]

1. It was a complicated mission well executed

Even if you disregard Trump’s hyperbole.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Yes. No need to brag and crow about it.

Especially when it was ridiculous overkill.

This bragging was ridiculous and puts troops in harms way.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. The community of other nations and the ICC@Hague are the only remaining hurdles.

Who owns the incoming VZ supplies of oil and drugs now?

Btw, there are rumors of the ballroom being an underground data center. Owned or leased to whom? The primest location in DC, somebody's making a bundle.

[Irish_Dem]

6. What countries will go up against the US military?

Trump just showed he will use the full force of the US military to get what he wants.

Trump will ignore the ICC.

Trump's goal is to own the oil supply and manipulate and control
countries with it like Putin has done in Europe.

I also suspect his goal is to own the Mexican drug cartel and get that profit.
Putin has become the richest man in the world with his oil and drug/sex rings.

[milestogo]

19. Any country that is afraid TSF will do the same thing to them.

[Irish_Dem]

22. Yes and US military generals will brag about it in public.

[Kid Berwyn]

3. Trump opened the door to open-season kidnapping...

Putin and his owner Xi will go after whomever, whenever and however and Traitor Trump will say, “Yes, Sir!”

Plus the associated international chaos.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Yes exactly.

[allegorical oracle]

5. Thought it absurd overkill that they made such a big drama of bringing Maduro to

the U.S. shackled up and blindfolded. He was sufficiently surrounded by armed federal law enforcement agents.

[Irish_Dem]

7. Trump uses these stunts to send a message.

I am the mob boss who will destroy you if you cross me.

[kentuck]

8. America will eat it up.

Like slop at feeding time.

They always have.

[Irish_Dem]

14. Yep. The best reality TV show of all time.

People love it like the Romans loved the violent colosseum performances.

[Diamond_Dog]

27. Don't give Trump any ideas!

[Irish_Dem]

31. He is already doing it with the ICE kidnapping stunts.

ICE agents grabbing pregnant women out of cars and stomping on their bellies.
Grabbing children off of school buses.

The MAGAs love it.

[Diamond_Dog]

33. I mean fill up a stadium, charge $ for tickets

And make poor immigrants fight each other to the death for the prize of American citizenship.
He loves fighting, violence, death.

[Irish_Dem]

36. Yes he would love it.

I think it is rumored that Trump and Epstein played sick games
with their victims.

Yes Trump would love a Roman Coliseum violent performance.

We still have three years left.

[allegorical oracle]

37. Perhaps he'll prefer to use the "ballroom" for that purpose. It will seat plenty of

paying rich folks and add to his grift. Isn't he planning WWE events? Or will those be held at the Kennedy Center? He's such a patron of the arts.

[Rebl2]

9. Hope Trump

doesn’t make Putin angry. Putin might start releasing all kinds of information he has on Trump. It may not be flattering.

[John1956PA]

10. The missile attack on Fort Tiuna is interesting.

The before and after photos show two red-roofed buildings were destroyed on one side of the fort, as were six buildings on the other side.

I am thinking that the missile strikes were precise and hit ammunition and equipment supplies, only. I hope no Venezuelan soldiers were killed, but I realize that some likely were.

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2/rockcms/2026-01/260104-fort-tiuna-before-and-after-rs-697959.jpg

[Irish_Dem]

16. I read reports that 40 Venezuelans were killed in the attack.

Probably more that we will never learn about.

[Ocelot II]

11. Operationally, the capture of Maduro was quite effective.

The big problem - and it's a very big one - is that it violated international law. I would absolutely not characterize Venezuela as a minor country, since it is not only fairly large (bigger than either France or Germany), but, more importantly, it is the location of the second largest oil reserves in the world - which is obviously the whole point of the operation. Maduro is a bad guy and a tinpot dictator, but Trump likes bad guys and tinpot dictators as long as they serve his interests. He doesn't care what happens to Maduro, except that he was getting in the way of the takeover of Venezuela's oil by US oil producers. But Maduro's government is still in place - this was just a decapitation, not a regime change. As usual, Trump has no idea what to do next, and the prosecution of Maduro in a US court will be an attempt at a show trial but Maduro has a lot of legal defenses.

This has the potential to be even messier than Iraq.

[milestogo]

17. I hope that he has to face the ICC

and be totally humiliated.

[fujiyamasan]

40. The US is not party to the Rome statute

[Irish_Dem]

21. I meant minor from a military perspective.

Yes it has one of the largest oil reserves in the world but it is seriously outmatched
in terms of their military up against the US.

My point is that Trump did a serious overkill and it was a message to the world.
Any one who crosses him will be destroyed by the US military.

And I do not like USAF generals bragging and acting the fool in public
to please Trump. It puts troops in danger and not necessary.

The USAF is the greatest air power in the history of the world.
It has a great deal of pride but doesn't brag about it and rub it in people's faces.

Yes Trump has no problem with dictators, he clearly wants to steal oil.

Trump does not care what happens next except for the fact he will make a lot
of money and profit from this crime paid for by the US taxpayer.

He could not care less about the victims of his crimes.

[Melon]

12. Literally took a sitting dictator without losing a man or helicopter

You don’t plan something half way when the goal is to win. Venezuela also uses Russian and Iranian air defense systems. It’s a clear message to Russia/China/Iran that US military technology and doctrine is far ahead of anywhere else.

[Ocelot II]

20. That was pretty well established with the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

[Irish_Dem]

23. It was overkill, Trump showing off and the US military kissing ass.

To capture a tinpot dictator from a two bit country.

[Ocelot II]

28. Was it, though? Maduro was in a heavily-fortified compound and had a large

and well-armed security force; it wasn't just a matter of knocking on his front door and taking him away. The operation was complex and well-executed, more like the taking of Osama Bin Laden. That doesn't mean it was legal or justifiable, which is an entirely different issue.

[Irish_Dem]

30. I thought it was overkill and unnecessary use of force.

The USAF general's description was way over the top for an operation of this sort.

But even if I go with your viewpoint, a USAF general opening bragging about
the operation and going on and on about it was a total disgrace.

The USAF is the finest Air Power in the world.
There is no need to brag and rub it in our enemy's face.
And no need to use it as a way to warn others.

This puts troops in harm's way.
And makes the USAF look like braggarts and fools.

I cannot speak for the other branches of US service.
But I am an USAF kid and if we had carried on in public like this general did,
we would have been taken to task and rightly so.

Yes you can brag in private. But in public you keep troops safe and keep your
mouth shut. The minute you brag like a fool, the enemy will knock you down a peg.

[Irish_Dem]

32. It is 100% certain that the USAF general's speech was 50% BS.

He either drew the short straw or is up Trump's ass.

[allegorical oracle]

38. Disappointingly, I felt it is the latter while I was watching his report.

[milestogo]

15. At the beginning of his broadcast Ali Velshi said 40 people were killed-

both military and civilians.

But as long as its not one of ours, who cares?

[dalton99a]

18. Message: "I can kidnap any head of state I want"

[Irish_Dem]

24. Yes this is the message.

[RobinA]

39. Well, It's More

like, it's OK to kidnap a foreign leader and steal the country's resources. Forget all that postWW2 international law hoohah that says you can't just plow into other nations and take what you want.

[BH liberal]

25. The Orange Menace is a war criminal...

and when are the Congressional Republican majority caucuses finally going to face up to it and do their duty?

[PSPS]

26. It took the focus off epstein. That was the primary motivation.

[Ocelot II]

29. It was the likely motivation for the timing of the operation, but not for the operation itself.

Trump has wanted to seize Venezuela's oil for a long time and has made no secret of it. This was going to happen regardless of the Epstein files but the timing was convenient.

[bluestarone]

34. Just wondering, when will we hear if ANY US troops were injured?

I'm waiting, and believe we DID have some troops injured.

[red dog 1]

35. Is he dead yet?