When the administration moved from endless interdictions to decisive military action and a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel was struck, Senator Marco Rubio made plain what the rest of us already understand: half measures only embolden the cartels. Rubio bluntly explained that interdictions “don’t work” and that sometimes the only language these narco-terrorists understand is forceful action to stop the flow of poison into our communities.
Make no mistake — Rubio’s warning that “instead of interdicting it, on the president’s orders, we blew it up” was not theater, it was policy. For too long Washington’s playbook has been catch-and-release and press releases; patriots deserve leaders who will disrupt the trade in deadly fentanyl and cocaine before it reaches our shores.
Americans see the body counts and the ruined lives every day in our towns, and we are tired of politicians who prefer soundbites to results. The left cries about procedure while ignoring the wholesale devastation cartels inflict on our children and neighborhoods, and that hypocrisy is intolerable to anyone who loves this country.
This approach won’t please every international bureaucrat or cable-news host, and some will scream about legal niceties while doing nothing to stop narco-terrorism. Conservatives understand that the primary duty of government is to defend its citizens, and when criminal enterprises operate like transnational militias, measured responses can become a necessary tool of national defense.
If critics insist on parsing legalities while our people die, then their moral compass is broken. The administration has taken the step of labeling certain cartels as narcoterrorists and treating them accordingly; that is a strategic decision aimed at removing the safe havens that fund tyrants and smugglers alike. The goal is simple: stop the money, stop the flow, and save American lives.
Rubio’s message — loud, clear, and unapologetic — serves as the kind of deterrent policy that can change behavior at sea and ashore. When leaders show they will use overwhelming force to protect the homeland, it sends a signal to traffickers and corrupt regimes that America will not be a soft target. This is patriotism in action, not reckless adventurism.
We should also applaud the mobilization of assets in the Caribbean that makes this kind of mission possible; projecting power where the cartels operate is a practical necessity if we truly intend to cut off the supply. Strength at sea and vigilance at the border are complementary, and conservatives must keep pressure on leaders to supply our forces with the resources to do the job.
Let the peddlers of poison hear Rubio’s warning and the rest of the world watch America defend its citizens. Hardworking Americans want safety, sobriety, and security — and we will stand behind leaders who choose action over platitudes to deliver it.
