Posted on 11/18/2025 9:55:45 AM PST by Kazan
Monday on CNN’s “News Central,” former national security adviser John Bolton said President Donald Trump had “put the gun on the table” to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Host Kate Bolduan asked, “One of the things that we know he’s doing right are these boat strikes. I mean, do you think these boat strikes are stopping the flow of drugs to the United States, for one, and do you think they are doing anything to stop Maduro or go to the ends that you’re talking about?”
Bolton said, “Well, I think the drug smugglers can obviously see what’s happening. It’d be stunning, as they do, that they don’t shift their routes and find other ways to get drugs into the United States. Let’s face it, it’s our demand for the drugs that’s giving them the incentive to try this; they’ll find other ways. But it also shows the confusion in the White House’s objectives. If it’s simply about illegal narcotics, that’s one thing, but it seems to be about overthrowing Maduro. Why else bring the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group from the European theater to the Caribbean? Trump has now put the gun on the table. The question is, is he going to use it or not?”
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
It's the level of militarily intervention that Trump opposed and campaigned against for more than a decade.
Polls show the public overwhelmingly opposed to a war or boots on the ground in Venezuela.
Bolton, Bolton, Bolton,
Wait, isn’t this the guy who is heading to jail?
As if there was any doubt, Bolton and his fellow globalists, war pigs and neocons want a regime change operation in Venezuela.
The Venezuela Maduro regime lost all legitimacy in the last election. Probably 2/3 or more of Venezuelans who still live in Venezuela want them gone.
“Bolton, Bolton, Bolton,
Wait, isn’t this the guy who is heading to jail?”
Yes
Man these people do not understand leverage
The “STASH” has spoken, you SHALL believe!
Not only that, but there is a clear opposition leader who won the last election capable of organizing a fair election. The point is that we don't have to run Venezuela, we have only to clear the debris by giving them a place to run.
Of course, what happens to them after that is anybody's guess. ;-) That outcome will be interesting re Brazil, which is another dubious election. Might make for an interesting model as applied to yet another nation with a history of such.
Finally earning the coveted Bolton seal of approval.
Gee, glad you approve, John.
“Polls show the public overwhelmingly opposed to a war or boots on the ground in Venezuela.”
Absolutely. It is was promised and repeatedly promised over and over. But reality is becoming the opposite. This is not what I voted for three times.
The US has a real interest in regime change in Venezuela.
There’s a bunch of oil there and we need to ensure a US friendly regime.
MAGA means pursuing REAL interests, not blind adherence to a philosophical precept.
But, under no circumstances should we risk American lives there.
There’s a bunch of oil there and we need to ensure a US friendly regime.
Remember several years ago, when I said that, you responded by saying we shouldn't get involved militarily? I'm pretty sure my memory is correct on that.
We shouldn't go to war to force a regime change under any circumstance. And, polls show the vast majority opposed to doing so.
I'm okay with supporting the people rising up and overthrowing Maduro and even giving them weapons to do so.
“Let’s face it, it’s our demand for the drugs that’s giving them the incentive to try this; they’ll find other ways.”
________________________________________________________
He is right about that.
Marko
That is the exact same logic that we used to justify our role in the Maiden coup in Ukraine.
The people should of a country should be the ones to rise up and force a regime, not us or any external country.
Maduro is an illegitimate ruler as it is.
Venezuela may have some interesting information about what has happened to American elections for the last 10-15 years.
That’s worth a carrier task force and gunboat diplomacy.
Smartmatic is now in republican hands, but they scrubbed most of the information about it before it was handed over.
There was a recent report that Smartmatic machines had some equipment added to them so that they could communicate with the world.
“Remember several years ago, when I said that, you responded by saying we shouldn’t get involved militarily? I’m pretty sure my memory is correct on that.”
I have no recollection of that. But it could be so.
My natural inclination is to avoid war.
However, situations evolve and each is different. It would STILL be a bad idea to do another Iraq and expect to build a Jeffersonian Republic in its place.
However, when even more oil is at stake and it’s in our hemisphere...long term realization of our national interest says we ought to ensure a regime friendly to the US in all aspects.
And Iraq would not have been a disaster if we had put “our guy” at the helm and kept most of the oil.
“That is the exact same logic that we used to justify our role in the Maiden coup in Ukraine.”
Bullshit. We never had a real interest in Ukraine and never claimed one. They were all abstract interests about “preserving the post war world order” and the like.
Lets see....
Korea. Stop communist. In full retreat until a cease fire was accomplished.
Vietnam..stop communism. How’d that work out. Laos..How’d that work out?
Cambodia..the same.
Afghanistan, How’d that work out?
Iraq, How’d that work out?
And now, Syria, supporting a leader there who is a terrorist.
And now Venezuela.
Not a very good record on “Regime” change is it?
Oh, I forgot. Cuba.
They claim drugs are the cause. What about Mexico? A narco state bordering us.
BTW, the so called revolt in Mexico is a battle between which cartels control of the government. That, told to me by Mexican Americans who have relatives back in Mexico.
Lock him up.
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