The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
Trump said: “I have an Article 2 (Constitution), where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.” So he celebrates the lawlessness of the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol and its attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump ignores the Constitution, U.S. and international laws. And, he has ordered U.S. warplanes to bomb Iran, Nigeria, Syria, Yemen and suspected drug traffickers. In a U.S. bombing and commando raid, Trump had Venezuelan dictator Maduro seized and brought to the U.S. to stand trial on drug trafficking.
To be clear, Maduro was a tinpot dictator who stole an election to stay in power, impoverished Venezuelans and refused to curb drug trafficking. But Maduro’s detention stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Hernandez, a convicted drug kingpin. It gets worse. “Trump has not hidden one of his driving motivations: oil. Venezuela sits atop of a fifth of the world’s global reserves …” (Washington Post).
Trump said: “We’ll run it (Venezuela) properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest (U.S.) oil companies in the world go in and invest billions … .” He casually threatened to put “boots on the ground.” Unwarranted optimism. Presidential hubris. Reminiscent of the buildup to the Iraq War. Then Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz said the cost of the war would be modest and paid for in large part by the sale of Iraqi oil. The cost turned out to be trillions of dollars. Thousands of Americans were killed or wounded. Around 300,000 Iraqis died (NYT). What road is Trump taking the U.S. and the world down?
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Trump’s military actions against Venezuela violated the War Powers Resolution requiring consultation with Congress. Trump never requested any congressional authorization. Moreover, Trump violated the UN Charter to refrain “from the threat or use of force” and the Organization of American States Charter to not “intervene directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other State.” Pointedly, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Uruguay issued a joint statement condemning U.S. military actions in Venezuela. They expressed concern regarding “external (U.S.) appropriation of natural or strategic resources (oil) … .”
Do-nothing Wisconsin GOP members of Congress gave Trump a blank check of support. Appalling. Representative Fitzgerald praised the attack and seizure of Maduro: “No individual, no matter how powerful, is above the law… .” What about Trump’s pardon of the Honduran president? Representative Van Orden simplistically said: “Leave war to warriors… .” What about the Constitution, international agreements, laws, human and economic costs?
Wisconsin Democratic Senator Baldwin wisely dissented: “Trump stormed into Venezuela and is drawing the U.S. into another forever war just to take Venezuela’s oil and enrich his big oil buddies. … is focused on everything except lowering costs and the issues that keep Wisconsin families up at night.” Similarly, Wisconsin Democratic 3rd Congressional District candidate Cooke, like Baldwin, condemned Maduro, also questioned how an “endless” war would control “skyrocketing healthcare costs … .”
Trump’s hubris, an Achilles heel.
Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C., for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 – 2009.
