I cannot see the US taking this sitting down. Isn’trael, Ukraine, both proxy fights, the US military other than needing to have part (far less than half) of it sit around looking intimidating off the coast of occupied Palestine is mostly free at the moment.

While I get why Venezuela is doing it, the timing is still meh, Biden is reeling from Republicans shutting down his Ukraine aid, facing a defeat and humiliation there, insurrection from his party base on his support of the zionist genocide and he needs a win. Something like this that he can spin as evil authoritarian tankie country invades wholesome democratic nation and US comes to the rescue and pushes them out and upholds order is just the kind of thing he probably really wants for his re-election to distract from the other failures. The kind of thing to get him plaudits and support from the war-hungry western press, his own party membership, and yes the Republicans. Sure there would be some cynical winking stuff about doing it for the oil joked about but most liberals would see it as genuinely correct and humanitarianly necessary and the reactionaries would thump their chests in approval at attacking a socialist state they’ve long tried to topple from within.

The US planned to build bases in the area and have been trying to overthrow the government in Venezuala for decades so it’s justified but I’m just not sure it’s wise as a pretext is useful to them.