And it sounds like Maduro is already in custody.

All this time, no endless wars and here he is, kinda like what John Bolton would have done.
Regime change in Iran is probably coming next or maybe Mexico....this ain't going to go well.
What's that Colin Powell Pottery Barn rule "You break it, you own it,"

It's a formula for a massive and deadly entanglement.
They've already sworn in Maduro's VP as leader.

And often, is the case. Not going to get into the weeds of what this means to the US, just wanted to share first hand experience from Venezuelans in Panamá.  
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For the past several weeks, several I'm close to have been telling me of their *hope* of an invasion. None of them like Trump or what he's doing in the US - one does 6wk shifts in the US for work, then 6wks home here and had to be reassigned to work in Europe because his company feared he'd be abducted off the street even though his work visa/paperwork were renewed just this last spring. I'd consider them centrist Democrats or 50/50 Independents if I had to classify them according to US political standards, not socialists or leftists of any degree. They're all college educated and 2 have advanced degrees. They're savvy, sane, humane folk. I couldn't wrap my head around why they'd support an invasion knowing what they do about the US history in Latin America and the rest of the world but LISTENED TO THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES.  
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For them, Hitler himself would be a welcome change to Maduro. Mind blown. They understand shit will get stolen out from under them (currently is anyway). They understand it will be one dictator replacing the current (don't care). They point to the long game... 30-50yrs post invasion... being able to have their own democracy again. Much like Panamá recovering from the Noriega invasion, as well as the rest of LATAM. I may not be able to comprehend that but it's NOT MY PLACE to tell them my reservations on the matter because it hasn't been my lived experience to speak from.
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Currently, the 6 lane main road a block away from me is down to 2 lanes because people are out celebrating. There's been more fireworks going off for several hours than on the New Year's Eve grand finale. There's an impromptu concert to be held at the park kitty-corner from my building tonight. One friend called me (CALLED!!) and was literally in tears saying he's been up for over 30 hours because he couldn't sleep after hearing the news. He expects he'll get to go put flowers on his father's grave for the first time after having not been allowed in the country during his declining health, death and burial.  
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So whatever this board discusses about this situation, please just bear in mind that multiple truths often coexist and for some people, this is a dream wept and bled for for a quarter of a century.

-- Modified on 1/3/2026 5:02:00 PM

...get the new government in Venezuela under control and they can do good things for the Venezuelan citizens.  You'd rather see Venezuela burn than you would for Trump to put a feather in his hat over this and be seen by the world as a positive force.

True, Nicholas Maduro's a bad guy, successor to Hugo Chavez consolidated all power to himself after Chavez's death and became a dictator. There are opposition parties but Maduro was able to hold onto power.

Totally agree with your analogy.  However, lets not kid ourselves.  This was all about oil.   Trump does not give a damn about Venezuela.  If there was no oil, Maduro would still be there.  That being said, I am glad he is gone.  Hopefully, the next person will run the country for its people.

Are they dancing in the streets now in Venezuela? Is there this mass celebration going on?? Are there chants of "USA,USA, USA"??
Trump will grift from this one way or the other, The oil companies will pay him off, and even the drug cartels will find a way to stay in business, through a payoff to trump.
And in the end, the people of Venezuela will be tossed a bone (see Iraq)
But in the meantime, MAGats are losing their heads over this....fucking dumbasses

Venezuela has viable opposition parties, they would be the best hope for a transition to democracy.  

Not in a pure, lovely sense of the word but in a "whew, the enemy of my enemy just liberated us from one dictator and yeah, they're gonna be another one but at least they might be a tiny bit better".
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The people in Panamá have been gathering, cheering, lighting fireworks off, honking horns, since this morning and there's a free concert going on now at the park next to me. It's a MASSIVE celebration. But no, I don't get the impression the Venezuelans are naive enough to think the US gives a shit about them as humans. They know it's about the oil and other resources. But they're hopeful it might mean fewer people murdered or disappeared, some of the thousands of political prisoners freed, better infrastructure (gotta have that to get the resources extracted/exported), fewer sanctions, and possibly even some jobs.

How would Panamanians feel if the USA took over the canal? Ya know, there was talk about it. Would they feel as "joyfull"?

The closest era that could be comparable was while Noriega was in power. Panamá was/is vastly grateful for being rid of Noriega BUT the devastation done to certain barrios (the poorest area was basically burned and bombed to dust) was unconscionable and that's why December 20th is a national day of mourning. Had the US taken over the canal at that time, I don't think the general public's response would be much different than the Venezuelan's dancing and singing at the park right now (national songs, NOT praising the US🙄). Being rid of a bloody tyrant is cause for celebration, even if there will be a bureaucratic tyrant on the throne next.
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If you're talking about Trump making good on his talk regarding the canal now.... oh yeah. There'd be war... well, as much as a third world country with no standing army could muster. There is no need for 'liberation' from anything but standard-issue, vanilla corruption. Ya know, the shit that's called "lobbying" and "not insider trading" and "not cause for concern under the emoluments clause" in the US...

After dedicating her Noble Piece Prize to trump, trump does what trump does...kicks the bitch to the curb.
No worries, US will now be in charge...wonder what can go wrong.

We saw how that worked out in our favor - NOT. Plus we took away Iran's worst enemy and made it us.

How soon can we install our puppet government in Venezuela?

We also did a less than perfect job in Cuba and Libya
One of our greatest failure was when the CCCP fell we and Europe failed to help the people leaving it ripe for the Mafia Oligarchs and Putin.

-- Modified on 1/4/2026 12:21:31 PM

How will the oil companies pay off Trump?

So eddie you are OK with all the drugs coming into The US
               You are OK with a narco-terrorist in our back yard.
                You are OK with all the gangs from Venezuela- Tren de Aragua  
               
Thank you for admitting what we already knew….you support condone and advocate terrorists, drugs coming into this country, allowing violent and vicious gangs to illegally come into this country, socialism/communism.

Trump said we could work with her but she said "No deal."
Now what?

I tend to agree that many Venezuelans are happy to see Maduro go, still know that the group he lead is still in control. They are probably hoping that the event will force the new interim President to move more towards what the opposition want, and perhaps that in the near future fair elections might be a reality.

...so maybe we should take that as a good thing.  I certainly don't think you're going to lobby on behalf of the Chicoms to keep control over the area...or are you?

Looks like a FO is in order for her too.

Borowitz: Trump names George Santos Prez of Venezuela.

Who is condemning the most?
Who is objecting the most?
Who is criticizing the most?

This just in, reckless decision is universally unpopular!

History....

Which universe are you in and  support, condone and advocate?
Socialist?
Communist?
Narco terrorist?
Brutal Dictator?

1) Most liberals here, including me, have applauded the performance of our military in this situation and are glad Maduro is gone.
2) Our valid criticisms are the apparent lack of a "next steps" plan and the fallout of the decision in other parts of the world.
You have utterly failed to acknowledge that or respond to those concerns.
In so doing you have cemented your reputation here as a reliable Trump-Bot.
Now cue up the whining about "Liberals are being mean to me."

The problem is that  you liberals on here.... go drastic.   You think TRUMP is evil and worse.

But you did get something right. I believe Trump IS, in fact, "evil and worse." You can't see it because you are blindingly stupid. The rest of your post is as incoherent as anything I've ever seen on this board.
You are a babbling fool who cannot be reasoned with.

1.) Cheney*
2.) We were greeted as liberators.... But getting all the sects to work together... That was an EPIC FAIL....

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!

One thing about crm is that in his world, trump is good, trump is god...No matter what the issue is...trump is good, I'd like to think of it as actually having a TDS...Really, forget that he a cult creature...its beyond that
I just ignore his blindsided rants

I'll say it since the men here are too shy to...

Who is everyone?
Oh I know who your everyone is, it is everyone, on the left, who hates Trump more than you love America.  

Thank you; it's just an observation from a much different vantage point than the rest of the board is likely to have.  
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All kinds of things have been/will be said about the situation and a great many of them will all be true at the same time. Sometimes it's nice to remember the humanity of a situation instead of just coldly dissecting it along the various lines of objective reality, confirmation bias and mis/disinformation.

I'm sure there are different groups in Venezuela but it's not a centuries old religious hatred as in the mid-east.  Differing political views vs religious views are vastly different issues.

"Venezuela meeting: President Donald Trump is keeping Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize after she presented it to him during their meeting today, a White House official said. Trump has long coveted the prize, but the committee that awards it has been clear that it cannot be shared or transferred."
http://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-venezuela-machado-01-15-26
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Every politician knows how to manipulate Trump by playing to his inflated ego with lavish gifts and over-the-top praising.  

Are gifts to sitting POTUSes considered to be "personal" or gifts to the American people? In the past, if POTUSes wanted to keep gifts when they left office, they had to pay the government a reasonable market value for said gift. There are plenty of examples from history. There are a bunch of laws, rules, and regulations.  
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(Was the gold medal a BRIBE to influence Trump's foreign policy towards Venezuela? Emoluments, anyone?)
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http://washdiplomat.com/us-president-officials-showered-with-swag-they-cannot-keep/
U.S. President, Officials Showered With Swag They Cannot Keep [May 2016 - look for a newer rules and regs]
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"Imagine receiving a diamond-and-emerald jewelry set or a gem-encrusted sword and not being able to keep them. That’s just part of the job for the president of the United States.
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"Each year, the first couple (along with a long roster of U.S. government officials) receives millions of dollars of swag, all of which they can accept on behalf of the country, but not of themselves. The main — and obvious — reason for this is to avoid the possibility or even appearance of bribery. This notion was so objectionable that America’s founding fathers wrote it into the U.S. Constitution.
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"Honest Abe — President Abraham Lincoln — followed the rules when, in 1862, he graciously declined the offer of elephants to be used in the Civil War from the King of Siam.  ...
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"If a gift’s value is greater than $375 and the recipient wants to keep it, they can pay fair market value for it. The same principle that goes for Obama goes for federal employees as well, who are bound by rules set by the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act.
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"The General Services Administration (GSA) Foreign Gifts and Decorations Officer is responsible for determining the fate of a gift. Typically, it goes to the National Archives and Records Administration or presidential libraries, but recipients can ask to use them for official use. ...
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Recipients can also purchase the gift from the GSA, as Stephanie Williams, former deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain, apparently did with a set of pearl earrings valued at $1,000 in January 2013. So did Acting Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Kelly, when he purchased a “traditional sword with belt,” worth an estimated $580, that was given to him by the Yemeni defense minister. Deputy Chief of Protocol Mark Walsh, meanwhile, bought a black Traser watch worth over $500 that was given to him by King Abdullah II of Jordan. ...

The ball is now in Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodríguez's court. What prize/praise can she offer that would top Machado?

I was a cheerleader in high school, one of the best, if I say so myself. I met the other best at camp at UK (the best cheerleading school in the World) during summer camp. We both said that we were gonna be the MVP during our senior year. Well, God had other plans. I overtrained and injured myself -- left wrist AND ankle. There was no way that I could compete. But this very kind girl, who went on to cheer in college and professionally for the Cowboys, put a plaque with my name on her trophy and drove it to me. I was extremely touched by the gesture, but it wasn't the same... I didn't WIN it. I didn't even display it in my room because I didn't want visitors to think I'd won it. Now that the trophy is in my attic. I can't throw it away... I just really wish that she hadn't given it to me.  

Katie 4 Prez!

Or will she have to donate it to Trump's Big Beautiful Ballroom construction fund?