George H.W. Bush: “I will be -- I will defer to the military commanders on what we ought to be doing.”

American officials must heed the lessons of the short-lived coup in 2002, when Bush Administration support for Chavez's ouster undermined America's standing in the region and damaged our credibility as a defender of democracy.

We're a blessed nation because we can grow our own food. A nation that can feed its people is a nation more secure.

I want to thank Senator Cardin for his tremendous leadership, for years, on human rights issues.

More than 220 years later, Washington's warning feels strikingly relevant.