Plucked

By Tommy Acosta —

Sedona, AZ — The art of war has taken a quantum leap into the future— a leap signaled by President Donald Trump’s abduction of President Maduro from his heavily guarded compound in Venezuela.

This was not an act of war between opposing forces representing different ideologies or competing for land or resources. This was war elevated to an art form, where heads of states simply remove one another while armies watch from the sidelines.

Taking a page from the Israeli playbook, Trump went in and claimed his prize. In doing so, he demonstrated to the world that nothing can stop a targeted abduction—or even a targeted killing—when the will and capability exist.

This was precision warfare. One second the leader of a country was sleeping soundly with his wife by his side, and the next they are plucked away with a one-way ticket to New York.

And now the world wonders what comes next. What leader is the leader who would kill or kidnap another leader next?

The immediate question is whether the current Venezuelan government under Delcy Rodríguez is going to play ball with Trump—or set itself up for liquidation.

Trump’s message, blunt as ever, is unmistakable:

Play ball, or you’re dead. There’s nowhere on this planet you can hide. We know where you work, play, where you live, where you go, what you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We know everything about you—and we can kill you at any time. Do what you are told, or else.

That is the message sent to Venezuela’s temporary government. Profound. To the point. Trumpian.

Then, what happens next? Trump says the U.S. will “run the country for a while.” Does that mean the Venezuelan military has capitulated? That the drug gangs have folded? That the entire government has surrendered?

The coming war in Venezuela—if it comes—could be fought from the air, with drones systematically eliminating members of the government until they cry uncle and agree to play by Trump’s rules. Or it could devolve into something far uglier: bombing buildings, claiming narco-terrorists are hiding behind civilians, or even a protracted war reminiscent of Vietnam—with American soldiers dying on foot in fetid jungles.

The best-case scenario—for everyone—is that the Venezuelan government opens the doors and says, Come in. Take over. Do what you want.

If this turns into a prolonged conflict, the suffering endured by the Venezuelan people will be immense. And one might ask: why not simply kill Maduro outright?

The answer is simple. Maduro will first be pressured—nicely at first—to reveal everything he knows: narco-connections, financial networks, international partners. If that fails, the pressure escalates. Torture. Drugs. Coercion. Whatever it takes to extract who did what, with whom, where the money flows, and which countries are involved.

What people didn’t expect was the spectacle. This wasn’t a conventional war: no blockades, no airfields knocked out. The U.S. military went in, dismantled Venezuela’s defenses, and plucked its leader straight from power.

But now come the complications.

Maduro is slated for trial in New York City. Where, in that city of Democrats, does one find a jury there that would favor Trump’s case? And suppose—after all this—we end up with a hung jury. Then what?

Does Maduro walk free? Disappear into island exile like Noriega? Return to power?

Proving guilt won’t be easy. Witnesses would need to testify—other narco-terrorists, drug dealers, insiders. But what happens when those witnesses are warned that their families will be tortured or killed if they speak? Do we offer protection to every criminal just to secure a conviction?

Now imagine the chaos of a hung jury—or worse, an acquittal. All that money. All that risk. For naught.

And then there’s the larger, scarier picture.

Half our navy is on the other side of the world. China is bristling missiles like a porcupine on Viagra, poised to move on Taiwan. We’re focused here, on the other side of the world, in the Caribbean—while they’re watching, waiting. What happens if China decides now is the moment?

And consider this: do oil companies even want more oil flooding the market? Rebuilding Venezuela’s infrastructure and pumping more oil would lower global prices—meaning less profit.

Do you really think they’ll allow that?

I don’t.

Maduro, no doubt, has hired a plethora of elite attorneys. Witnesses will be discredited. Families of potential informants may be silenced. Oil will flow freely. Drugs will become slightly more expensive as supply tightens—but demand will never disappear. Those who want them will always find a way.

Will Vice President Rodríguez bend under the threat of death and hand Trump the keys—or does she resist, dragging us into another, genocidal Vietnam-style jungle war with young American casualties?

A bit of good news though. It appears in this moment Rodriguez is ready to play ball. Let’s pray it’s true.