Nicolas Maduro is more than a president. He is an idea, a world-historical hero, light itself.

When people told me they hated Nicolás Maduro or (far worse) that they were "not fans," I wish I had said in no uncertain terms: "I love Nicolás Maduro. I am in awe of him. I am set free by him. He is the finest world leader our galaxy has ever seen."

I wish, in those exchanges, I had not asked gentle, tolerant questions about a hater's ridiculous allergy to him, or Maduro's fictional misdeeds and imagined character flaws. More deeply still, I wish I had not reasoned with anyone, patiently countered their ludicrous emotionalism and psychologically disturbed theories. I wish I had said, flatly, "I love him." As if I had been asked about my father or brother. No defensiveness or polemics; not dignifying the crazy allegations with so much as a Snopes link.

Maybe "I love him" seemed too womany, too sentimental, too un-pragmatic. Not coalition-building, kind of culty. But people say with impunity they love Guaidó, the state oil company, the coups, Elliott Abrams. In the end, I wish I'd said it because it's true.