How do you impeach a president bravely leading the nation in wartime?
Whether killing a high official of a foreign country on the land of a third country is assassination or simple murder or “stand your ground” or an act of war is somewhat debatable. But the facts are there. It wasn’t diplomacy. Gen. Bonespur, in his gilded bunker on Palm Beach, might echo Barabas in Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta: “But that was in another country, and besides he wench is dead.”
Who asks about the past? Already, the media are focusing on the success of the drone strike, the uncertainty of the future and the evil deeds deceased, who it is ill-advised speak well of. In support of the flag. The media has already chosen not to ask, “What in the world did you expect Iran to do when you cut off its access to financial markets, fuel and medicine, and then proclaimed its need for regime change and ratcheted up sanctions to cause it? Book vacations at Trump golf courses?"
But if you can’t impeach a president the lemmings have rallied around, what is to stop future president from going to war at the first vote of impeachment? Not section 8 of the Constitution, which gives the impeachers, not the impeached, the power to declare war but which has been thoroughly ignored since 1950. Oh, a wallboard wall called the War Powers Act was passed in 1973, but it was ignored at the time and ever since.
So here is the deal: Impeach, if you dare. But don’t be surprised if it leads to war.
The Iraq War is now widely considered to have been a mistake, based on flawed information. However one thing I remember from that time is that our leadership was at great pains to get our allies on board supporting it. Contrast that with this situation. Apparently no allies were consulted. Not only that, but key members of Congress were not consulted. They aren't calling it "war" of course. But we can't blame Iran if they see it otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSo are you saying that Trump is going to start a military operation to reduce his chances for removal from office (he has already been impeached)? The thought being that the Senate would not remove a president in the middle of a military action?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Trump is in danger of removal whatever he does militarily. McConnell will keep defections to a minimum despite noises from the usual quarters, i.e., Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and (sometimes) Mitt Romney.
I do see drone strikes as a handy way to deflect attention from the administration's corruption, incompetence, and chaos: "We're protecting you by killing bad guys who are trying to get you."
Most elements in the congressional GOP want those identified as terrorists dead anyway, so they'll go along with Trump's failure to notify or take counsel with them for the Greater Good.
Jean, traditionally the nation has rallied around the president in time of war. We are two nations now, which ought, in practice, to change that. But I couldn't tell that from the media coverage yesterday, which amounted to "Hooray, Hooray for Our Gallant Side, and have you noticed some Democrats are still carping at a time like this?"
DeleteAnd I was reminded of what I am acutely aware:L Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution is a dead letter as far as going to war is concerned. There is not even a scintilla of authority for bombing a (theoretically) neutral country to kill a leader of a different country under the War Powers Act (pfffft), and the toadies are only claiming the divine right of Trump for their authority.
And who is going to stop him? Not the Senate ruled by McConnell or the five Federalist Society debs on Scotus.
It just seems like a sad situation to me.