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George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley is not a conservative, but he is an honest and very smart man. Since the news of Maduro’s capture by the U.S. Military under Trump this morning, he has been pointing out that Trump did not need approval from congress to do this, despite what Democrats are claiming now. Turley uses the example of Manuel Noriega, who was removed from Panama by the United States in 1989 under similar circumstances. He refers to the actions of other presidents as well.

The recent U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro echoes a chapter from Latin American history: the 1989 invasion of Panama and the arrest of General Manuel Noriega. Both events unfolded on January 3, separated by 36 years, and highlight Washington’s approach to removing leaders it deems threats. In 1989, U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who had served as CIA director, authorized the invasion of Panama to apprehend Noriega, the nation’s de facto ruler. Noriega, once a U.S. intelligence collaborator, faced charges in American courts for drug trafficking. The action marked the final major...

As the U.S. military escalates its posture around Venezuela—with naval deployments in the Caribbean, B-52 overflights, lethal strikes on alleged drug boats, and confirmed CIA covert operations—advocates of regime change are reviving a dangerous analogy. Many have pointed to the United States’ 1989 invasion of Panama and toppling of dictator Manuel Noriega as proof that swift, surgical operations can get the job done. In private conversations with several current and former U.S. officials, they have nodded toward this parallel. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who just last month was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, has appealed to the United...

The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington. President Donald Trump insisted the U.S. government would run the country at least temporarily and was already doing so.The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — was not immediately clear. The stunning, lightning-fast American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of its leader,...

Manuel Antonio Noriega, the brash former dictator of Panama and sometime ally of the United States whose ties to drug trafficking led to his ouster in 1989 in what was then the largest American military action since the Vietnam War, has died. He was 83. President Juan Carlos Varela of Panama announced Mr. Noriega’s death on Twitter early Tuesday morning.

Beth Wilkinson (NBC, David Gregory's wife) is a partner at Latham & Watkins in Washington. A top counter-terrorism official in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration.

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, serving a 20-year jail sentence in Panama, was hospitalized on Wednesday for what authorities say was a routine check-up though his attorney says he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. "He will undergo several routine exams," Angel Calderon, head of Panama's jail system told Reuters, adding that Noriega suffered a bout of flu last week. But the former strongman's lawyer said Noriega's health has deteriorated due to poor treatment in jail for flu and fever, and a brain tumor recently detected by his doctors. … The 78-year-old Noriega, once Panama's drug-running military ruler, is...

Former military strongman Manuel Antonio Noriega was flown home to Panama on Sunday to be punished once again for crimes he committed during a career that saw him transformed from a close Cold War ally of Washington to the vilified target of a U.S. invasion.

I have not found any English language sources regarding this patriot of Panama. Freepers everywhere would have loved to meet a real man. One who stood up to Manuel "Pizza Face" Noriega and you may recall his famous photo wearing a blood stained shirt fighting off a kid. That kid was one of Noriega's goons. And yes, "Billy" told me that he clocked the kid but good. Truly a remarkable man and life. One morning, he actually flipped the bird to one of Noriega's helicopter gunships hovering right outside his apartment in the Paitilla neighborhood of Panama City. They couldn't...

Detainees or POWs? Ancient distinctions. By Mackubin Thomas Owens is professor of strategy and force planning at the Naval War College in Newport. His views do no necessarily reflect those of any agency of the U.S. government. January 24, 2002 8:55 a.m. as President Bush's decision launch a "war against terrorism" in response to September 11 now hoisted the United States on its own petard? That would seem to be the case as international organizations and even officials of allied countries such as Great Britain have intensified criticism of the United States concerning its treatment of captured al Qaeda and ...

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was put on a plane to France on Monday, after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed extradition orders.

(English-language translation) MIAMI - Panamanian General Manuel Antonio Noriega appealed yesterday to the United States Supreme Court as a last legal recourse to avoid his extradition to France after an appeals court ruled that he may be sent to Paris, where he faces money-laundering charges. Seventy-three-year-old Noriega, who is serving a prison sentence in Miami for allowing cocaine shipments from the defunct Medellín Colombian drug cartel to Panama, went to the nation's highest court to argue that, being a prisoner of war, he must be sent back to Panama in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

Wow. It looks like the Noriega campaign is turning as dirty as the candidate himself. Their newest ad accuses John Cornyn of have ties to the now infamous Jack Abramoff. You can see the (terribly amateurish) ad at the link below, which for some reason I couldn't make a link. Hm. Whatev. In case you can't get to it, the ad accuses Cornyn of doing the "bidding of convicted felon Jack Abramoff." While the claim is vague, it likely is referring to the Tigua Indian's casino in El Paso, one of Abramoff's many undertakings. Here are some facts to ease...

The same thing that gives Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn headaches in his re-election campaign gives Democratic challenger Rick Noriega hope of an upset — an unsettled electorate that makes voter turnout hard to predict. The first-term senator wouldn't have anything to worry about in an ordinary election. A Democrat hasn't won a Senate race in Texas in 20 years or carried the state in a presidential contest in 30 years. Cornyn has led in the polls and enjoyed a fundraising advantage of almost 5-1 over Noriega. Nevertheless, the polls have never shown Cornyn with a lock on re-election...

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at his side, Rick Noriega glimpsed the political limelight a Democratic Senate candidate would traditionally expect in South Texas a month before the election.

In attempts to hopelessly salvage the non-existent momentum from his failed Health Care Press Conference, Cornyn challenger Rick Noriega wrote into the Dallas Morning News in a humorous OP-ED piece. Noriega blasts Cornyn for voting "against expanding health insurance coverage for Texas kids." He later goes on to admit that Texas needs "real health care security for their families, lowered costs for employers, and more transparency and accountability than our current system provides. "I find this hysterical on multiple levels: 1) Cornyn worked to lower the cost of insurance coverage for employers, so essentially Noriega praises Cornyn's work. 2) The...

It appears that Camp Noriega held a fundraiser in London at the "Texas Embassy" in support of his campaign last week. The "Embassy" is a Tex-Mex restaurant in Trafalgar Square. The fundraiser brought in a ::brace yourselves everyone, this one's a killer:: monumental "$400.00! Woo hoo!!! They sure gave him a Texas sized welcome. There was about 12 people attending the fundraiser...all of which were Americans living in London. 3 were Texan. Here is some commentary from Camp Cornyn on the fundraiser: "As he was hauling in $400, Rick Noriega told his London supporters that Texas is "not quite meeting...

So in addition to the Demos attempting to cram down our throats an unqualified and inexperienced candidate for President...we've got to deal with the Wesley Clark backing Noriega. In a letter distributed to Noriega-ites, Clark talks about Senator Jim Webb's victory in Virginia against a Republican incumbent with a large war chest in the bank...expecting us to believe that Noriega can take Cornyn based on what exactly? Hope? Wishful thinking? Clark mentions how he is friends with Noriega: "I know Rick personally, and I know he'll be a great Senator for Texas." Well that's great Wes! But Texas needs more...

Matt Glazer of BurntOrangeReport successfully displays his inability to comprehend the needs of the US military. In his piece “Cornyn Responds to VoteVets” he attacks Senator Cornyn and argues in favor of the Webb-Hagel GI Bill. Contributor for RUF Aaron Schwitters, outlined the Webb-Hagel Bill perfectly in his piece "The Democrat Poison - Pill for the Military". Kevin McLaughlin, spokesman for the Cornyn campaign responded to the ad released by VoteVets.org. McLaughlin states: “The anti-war crowd is determined to use our men and women in uniform for their political advantage, even if our nation security is jeopardized in the process”....

It’s time to add United States Senator John Cornyn to the list of potentially vulnerable Republican incumbents in Election 2008. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state find Cornyn leading Democratic state legislator Rick Noriega by just four percentage points, 47% to 43%. Any incumbent who polls below 50% is considered potentially vulnerable. That is especially true when a little known challenger is so competitive in an early general election match-up. The race for President in Texas is also fairly competitive early in Election 2008. Noreiga leads among voters earning less than $40,000 a year. Cornyn leads among...