US Lawmakers Vote 'No' on Halting Venezuela Strikes, 'Yes' on Business As Usual
Mainstream outlets report this as a legislative 'failure' to block a president's 'actions.' But let’s be less cute: This wasn't about blocking strikes; it was about protecting the prerogative to launch them whenever, wherever. The vote, House Resolution 6323, put the War Powers Act—theoretically meant to rein in executive power—to an actual test. Guess who won? The executive, with an assist from
Congress. One might wonder at the timing, given the geopolitical chess match playing out globally. But perhaps we shouldn't. The historical pattern of American interventionism in Latin America is hardly subtle, from banana republics to covert operations. It's the kind of consistency one almost has to admire, if one enjoys destabilized regions. How many 'democratic transitions' does a country need
before it's allowed to simply exist?