Also, Noriega could have been ‘taken out’ without firing more than maybe a few shots....
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You missed/ignored the point, entirely.
:::::::: That scumbag should be taken out like Noriega was taken out. And like Castro should have been taken out decades ago.
What was the point, then? Noriega was 'taken out' by a full-scale invasion/occupation of Panama. Castro apparently managed to not be assassinated (I assume we tried), and Kennedy decided not to go the military route. We came too close to nuclear war in the missile crisis, also not a good possible outcome. Of course Chavez should have been taken out a decade ago, but it is clear the US no longer acts so overtly in Latin America anymore, the Panama case being a somewhat unique exception. Additionally, the VZ opposition has shown itself to be a joke, given how quickly the 2002 removal of Chavez collapsed - who would trust them to do anything now?