# The US is currently attacking Caracas (Venezuela), has captured Maduro **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 3, 2026, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296 "2026-01-03T06:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/241 "2026-01-05T06:11:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > That just seems like an excuse to badmouth a bunch of dead bodyguards by using a less popular word for them. Should we _not_ badmouth the people guarding a monstrous dictator like Maduro? Whyever not? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/242 "2026-01-05T06:13:45Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Is there any actual evidence of civilian casualties or was that just conjecture? We bombed _houses;_ what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/243 "2026-01-05T06:14:51Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Should we _not_ badmouth the people guarding a monstrous dictator like Maduro? Really? We’re going to start retroactively rationalizing this illegal, unwise, and unjustifiable act of international criminality by leaning into vilification of the other country’s leader? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/244 "2026-01-05T06:16:57Z")
Can we badmouth the Secret Service for defending a monster like Trump? Or is it only brown-skinned tyrants whose bodyguards we can condemn? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/245 "2026-01-05T06:17:23Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > We’re going to start retroactively rationalizing this illegal, unwise, and unjustifiable act of international criminality by leaning into vilification of the other country’s leader? Really? Sorry, so if I think Trump shouldn’t have done this, I have to pretend that Maduro was a good guy and the Cuban regime troopers guarding him were saints? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/246 "2026-01-05T06:19:44Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Can we badmouth the Secret Service for defending a monster like Trump? I don’t think the Secret Service has done anything wrong, but I think it’s very fine to be critical of people who have, like ICE agents. Trump isn’t comparable to Maduro, but if he seized power on Jan 6 2020 becoming an illegitimate dictator as Maduro did in his own country, I think it _would_ be more than acceptable to criticize anyone who has a role to play in that process including the Secret Service. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/247 "2026-01-05T06:31:39Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Sorry, so if I think Trump shouldn’t have done this, I have to pretend that Maduro was a good guy and the Cuban regime troopers guarding him were saints? Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying. That’s a completely reasonable and rational position to take. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/248 "2026-01-05T06:45:30Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying. That’s a completely reasonable and rational position to take. Then I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t think this was a wise move to take, but I’m not going to whitewash how terrible Maduro was or act like regime thugs sent by Cuba are deserving of respect. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/249 "2026-01-05T06:50:31Z")
Killing people who pose no threat to you is wrong, even if they’re bodyguards for tyrants. There were no “enemy combatants” here - because Venezuela never posed any threat to us, and of course we were never in any military conflict until Trump started one. And, of course, killing civilians is wrong, and reports are that civilians were killed, though we don’t have a number yet. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/250 "2026-01-05T07:02:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > if I think Trump shouldn’t have done this, I have to pretend that Maduro was a good guy and the Cuban regime troopers guarding him were saints? Maduro was a dictatorial fascist who was oppressing the people of Venezuela. It was legally, morally, and from the standpoint of _realpolitik_ wrong for Donald Trump to unilaterally attack Venezuela and abduct him without Congressional approval when his regime posed no threat to the US. Both of these things can be true. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/251 "2026-01-05T07:07:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Both of these things can be true. I agree! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/252 "2026-01-05T07:32:30Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > This AP article quotes the Cuban government as saying that the 32 were “military and police officers.” The term “mercenary” comes across, to me, as a soldier-of-fortune, or a gun-for-hire, and not a member of a nation’s military or police force. That said, it’s possible that Maduro or his government paid for the Cubans to be there. > > [Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US operation in Venezuela](https://apnews.com/article/cuba-us-venezuela-maduro-e66899b41f0b84cf83f77a69d399b486) There’s a long history of rulers using a small but elite group of foreigners as their personal bodyguards - the Varangian Guard in the Byzantine Empire, the Scottish Guard in France, and of course, the Swiss Guard in the Vatican. These forces are invariably referred to as “mercenaries”, although in their day, mercenaries were often the best-trained troops available. What they aren’t is part of a nation’s military or police force. That’s the whole point - they’re outside the chain of command and directly loyal to the ruler, so that they could protect him from military coups. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/253 "2026-01-05T07:50:49Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Two of](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115832479510808181) [the photos](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115832480524727905) show senior Trump officials gathered in front of a screen with an [X search](https://x.com/search?q=venezuela&src=typed_query&f=top) open for “Venezuela.” A [third photo](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115832487751046400) shows Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan “Raizin” Caine huddled around a laptop with an X profile visible on the screen behind them. That says it all. Preoccupied with how this plays on _on social media_. It’s all just a reality show to them. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/254 "2026-01-05T07:57:38Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > That says it all. Preoccupied with how this plays on _on social media_. It’s all just a reality show to them. Of course it is. And there’s no secret why. To keep the felon happy during his first reality show, the director had to constantly tell him how wonderful he is, what a great job he’s doing, and a whole boatload of other fawning comments to him. All of this was to keep him from leaving the network holding the bag. Why wouldn’t he see anything differently now? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/255 "2026-01-06T00:28:52Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > abduct him Yes, it was an abduction, a kidnapping, and I’m sick of the media using the mealy-mouthed euphemisms “captured” or “arrested.” It legitimizes what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/256 "2026-01-06T00:46:22Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Yes, it was an abduction, a kidnapping, and I’m sick of the media using the mealy-mouthed euphemisms “captured” or “arrested.” It legitimizes what happened. Supposedly the BBC is under orders to not call it a kidnapping. [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8vXz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffbac3a6f-68ce-463d-9192-ed022fab8c6d_1078x946.png) ](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8vXz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffbac3a6f-68ce-463d-9192-ed022fab8c6d_1078x946.png) That’s been making the rounds, can’t verify it though. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/257 "2026-01-06T00:52:52Z")
Gunfire reported in the capital. Second coup? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/258 "2026-01-06T00:54:32Z")
To me kidnap is taking someone and then demanding a ransom or something in exchange for their return. Capture is taking someone by force which could include kidnapping so a more general term. I don’t really see the problem with using the more general word. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/259 "2026-01-06T00:55:57Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Gunfire reported in the capital. Second coup? Or we’re attacking again, maybe to kidnap or murder their defiant Vice President. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296/260 "2026-01-06T01:01:09Z")
Doubt it, it’s mostly ground level and not seeing any airstrikes so far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-is-currently-attacking-caracas-venezuela-has-captured-maduro/1026296.md?page=14)