Earlier today Ed wrote about the developing situation in Venezuela saying, “regime change in Venezuela will depend on whether the military has had enough of Maduro and the instability he has created.” That the military is the final arbiter is clear to everyone, not least President Maduro himself:

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday called on the country’s military to maintain unity and discipline, after the leader of the opposition-controlled congress declared himself interim president and asked for the armed forces’ support. “We will triumph over this as well, we will come out victorious,” Maduro told supporters outside the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, as hundreds of thousands marched around the country demanding he step down and in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido’s call for elections.

A short while ago the military seemed to side with Maduro:

High military command in Venezuela now publicly stating support for Nicolas Maduro as Commander in Chief. Says military backs Maduro. Without army support, US government backed opposition cannot take control. https://t.co/yHeVnogfde — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 23, 2019

So far, the United States and 13 other nations have signaled their support for Juan Guaidó as the interim president:

Some U.S. media outlets portraying recognition of President @jguaido of #Venezuela as some unilateral American action. At least 13 other nations have done the same:

Argentina

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Ecuador

France

Guatemala

Honduras

Paraguay

Panama

Peru — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 23, 2019

Maduro’s response has been to cut diplomatic ties with the United States and order our diplomats out of the country within 72 hours. But if we no longer recognize Maduro as the country’s president, why would we heed his demands regarding our diplomats?

U.S. diplomats in #Venezuela should present their credentials to President @jguaido. Maduro has no authority to expel anyone. And trust me on this one, if Maduro is stupid enough to test @realdonaldtrump by harming any U.S. diplomat, the consequences would be swift & severe. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 23, 2019

This sets up the next possible confrontation. Will Maduro and the military attempt to physically remove our diplomats? And, if so, how will the U.S. respond? Frankly, I’d be more worried about Maduro’s regime hitting them with a bunch of false charges and imprisoning them than putting them on a plane back to the U.S. It wouldn’t be the first time Maduro had sent his political opponents to a military prison.

While the military may be siding with Maduro today it’s hard to imagine this state of affairs can last for much longer. Look at the size of this crowd protesting his rule today:

https://twitter.com/gulasound/status/1088160398904381440

Here’s another angle:

The cry of freedom: the people of #Venezuela have rejected socialism and the authoritarianism that accompanies it. pic.twitter.com/NBLgHwZINW — Prof. Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) January 23, 2019

There are already some videos circulating that show police joining the protests:

Reports from Valencia, Venezuela say that Carabobo Police forces joined protesters in the Bolivar Avenue. #23ene #venezuela #GritemosConBrio pic.twitter.com/IEfNK5yRhq — Amir Richani (@amir_richani) January 23, 2019

And another one:

Beautiful. Members of the National Guard reject #Madura and let the good people of #Venezuela move forward with their demonstration #Venezuela The power moves to the people. Credit please @ivonnelago

pic.twitter.com/1t9c36JmDr — Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) January 23, 2019

With all of this happening, many people have been wondering what America’s foremost Democratic Socialist thinks about the situation.

So, @AOC, any comment on Maduro? Should he go? Is the Trump administration right to recognize Guaido? Where exactly do you think Hugo Chavez and Maduro went wrong, if at all? — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 23, 2019

Remember, just yesterday she called America “dystopian” so she must know it when she sees it. But so far, she doesn’t seem to have any similar criticism for revolutionary Venezuela.

The easy thing for her to do in this situation would be to side with the people and say something like ‘Of course Maduro is a dictator!’ The media would promptly report that she’s extremely level-headed and move along, mostly ignoring that her actual policies are not so different from the Chavismo that has gradually turned the country into a hellhole over the past decade. The fact that she’s not even taking the easy path and is instead remaining silent makes you wonder if she isn’t a bit more sympathetic with Maduro’s regime than would be comfortable for her to admit. Maybe tomorrow she’ll put together a snappy response. Or maybe some journalist will work up the gumption to ask her.