Subject: Re: Venezuela - Who and How
Hahahahahaha! How much more do you want?

An explanation of how our capabilities have changed. Do you think we couldn't have done this operation four days ago instead of two days ago, if we had wanted to? Venezuela has never had the capability to keep us from doing what we might want to in that country. It's a weak country, compared to the U.S.

Had Trump embraced Machado, what’s the worldwide leftist reaction to her?

It would be bad no matter what - she's an anti-Chavismo who has said she wants to "bury socialism forever." She's never getting the left's support, and neither is anyone else in the opposition party. Trump didn't throw her aside because he wants to help her - he threw her aside because the plan is not to install her (or anyone else in the opposition party) into the government over the objections of the military. The plan is status quo.

Of course she’s going to come out and pound the table. She has to put up appearances.

Don’t you think that she’s getting phone calls now? And that those phone calls are about discussing options?

Sure - just like she was before Maduro was ousted. Just like Maduro was certainly getting calls before he was ousted. But she's unlikely to do what the folks on the other end of the calls are asking, just like Maduro was unlikely to do what the folks on the other end of the calls were asking. Because what the U.S. wants is not in the best interests of the governing regime, and that hasn't changed in the last few days.

Because there isn’t one. The left always assumes there’s some corruption angle, builds that up in their minds, then wonders when it doesn’t appear.

The objectives in Venezuela are obvious.

I'm not talking about a "corruption angle" - I'm talking about what your talking about. The idea that there's some more complex strategy being implemented in the background, something wholly inconsistent with the steps being taken in public. I agree there isn't any such thing. There's no complicated maneuvering to try to get an opposition leader installed who will repudiate socialism and Bolivarianism and open the door to oil companies coming in. The steps that the Administration has taken in public are really damaging to the opposition - they're delegitimizing Machado, justifying a delay in elections, and signaling that the U.S. is planning to work with the military rather than any opposition leaders who might be willing to take shot at regime change (which makes it all but impossible for them to actually organize and garner support).

I agree that the objectives in Venezuela are obvious - what I'm pointing out is that removing Maduro doesn't do anything to advance those objectives if we leave every other part of his government in place. Which appears to be the plan. So we've done all this for very little outcome. Which only makes sense if the Administration had mistakenly thought (or was just willing to roll the dice) that Rodriguez was genuinely willing to switch teams if she got the job, rather than perhaps just playing Good Cop to Maduro's Bad Cop in diplomacy with the U.S.

We'll see what happens going forward, but it sure looks like the Administration is just going to let Rodriguez consolidate her role and allow the Maduro government to continue more-or-less unchanged except at President. Which will accomplish virtually nothing towards achieving our objectives in Venezuela, and arguably will make matters worse.