One great irony is that deposed Venezuelan socialist despot Nicolas Maduro sits in jail in New York City, where a new socialist mayor, inaugurated a few days ago, extols the “warmth of collectivism” rather than the “frigidity of rugged individualism.”

No warm, cuddly collectivist has ever nor will ever perform a mission like rugged American individualists just pulled off in Venezuela, surgically extracting their oppressive leader from the midst of his capital, without a single American casualty.

In democratic elections held in Venezuela in 2024, Venezuelans said “no, thank you” to the “warmth of collectivism” and cast 70% of their votes in opposition to Maduro. But, by no surprise, the election was ignored and their warm, cozy despot refused to be cast into the cold.

Sometimes human beings are so desperately lost that nothing other than the hard, cruel reality resulting from bad decisions wakes them up. This is what will be in New York City.

But Venezuelans have been there and done that.

Why is the country with the largest oil reserves in the world poor, with per capita GDP, per the World Bank, of $4,217?

We need not get into an academic exercise of defining socialism. It adequately captures the point to say that socialism is the absence of economic freedom. Private property is subservient to the whims of government power to take, to tax and to regulate.

The Fraser Institute annual Economic Freedom of the World Report, which measures economic freedom around the world, ranks Venezuela 165 out of 165 countries measured.

Similarly, on the other side of the world, Iran, the country with the third largest oil reserves in the world, also poor. Per the World Bank, per capita GDP of Iran is $5,190.

Why? Out of 165 countries ranked by the Fraser Institute for economic freedom, Iran ranks 161.

Beyond basking in the breathtaking, superlative mission that our American troops just pulled off, every analyst is asking: What will be next? Now that Maduro is gone, what about the rest of his regime? When will elections be held?

I, of course, cannot answer these questions. But I can say that, beyond the success of capturing and bringing Maduro to justice, there has been an important achievement.

The Venezuelan mission sent a sharp and resounding message to the many points of evil around the world that America is ready to engage. Evil will always advance when and where it perceives it can.

When President Donald Trump says that Russia would not have gone into Ukraine had he been president at the time, he is right.

Social unrest and protest are emerging in Iran. The already pathetic Iranian economy was further damaged by the Israeli and American cooperative success in the 12-day war there.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and ready to go.”

For sure now, the mullahs are paying attention.

As is China, who immediately condemned the American action in Venezuela.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Israeli operation in Entebbe, Uganda — a mission every bit as stunning as Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela.

Israeli commandos flew over 2,000 miles to Uganda and rescued 102 of 106 being held hostage at the Entebbe airport. There was one casualty: the commander of the operation, Yehonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Israel’s current prime minister.

Author Herman Wouk, writing of Yehonatan’s heroism, wrote: “Heroes are not supermen; they are good men who embody — by the cast of destiny — the virtue of their whole people in a great hour.”

Thank you to our American heroes — President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine.

And our magnificent troops who carried out Operation Absolute Resolve.

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