December 5, 2025 6:30 am

The Double Tap Isn’t the Issue

The debate should be about whether the ‘war on drugs’ is literal or not.

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The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) participate in an integrated phase training event in the Atlantic Ocean, March 23, 2025.

Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky/U.S. Navy

Washington has been consumed with a debate about the so-called double tap attack on a Venezuelan drug boat on September 2, but the issue should really be the first tap.

If drug boats are a military threat, and if drug runners are enemy combatants, then eliminating them entirely in an attack isn’t necessarily an outrage.

About the Author

Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.

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Washington has been consumed with a debate about the so-called double tap attack on a Venezuelan drug boat on September 2, but the issue should really be the first tap.

If drug boats are a military threat, and if drug runners are enemy combatants, then eliminating them entirely in an attack isn’t necessarily an outrage.