Tillerson talks of coup in Caracas

Rex Tillerson hasn't had an easy time as secretary of state. But occasionally he says something which makes you sit up. Setting off for a tour of Latin America, he casually suggested that President Maduro, the appalling leader of Venezuela who has converted his rich nation into a basket case of poverty, looting and protest, could be overthrown in a military coup. Unless the CIA briefed him prior to his depature on up-to-date intelligence of a coup in the making, Tillerson's remark was off the cuff and not based on any knowledge of anything. Which, for an American secretary of state, is unusually mischievous. But with any luck it might sow some seeds in some Venezuelan generals' minds that it might not be such a bad idea. The police officer Oscar Perez who had a go, dropping grenades onto the Supreme Court building in Caracas from a helicopter last month, was soon tracked down and slaughtered in a volley of gunfire. But his attempt was never going to get very far. It would have been comical had he not been cornered and killed. But now Rex Tillerson himself has effectively called on the military to oust Maduro, perhaps someone with more planning and backing might try. It would be fraught with danger and I can't see the CIA offering to help. Ventures of this kind in Latin America tend to go wrong. But there is no question that Venezuela needs help. More than half a million of its citizens have fled the country for the safety of neighbouring Colombia. Thousands more will follow because Venezuela is running out of food. But they can take nothing with them. They are leaving homes and jobs in order to try and find a better life. During Tillerson's Latin America tour, Venezuela is going to be high on the list of topics to discuss. Perhaps he will mention the word "coup" once again in the earshot of Venezuela's neighbours. The problem is, can the military in Venezuela, even if they realise Maduro has to be removed from power, be trusted to give the Venezuelan people their lives back?