Tying Trump's Hands, Reagan & Trump, Left-wing Insanity

Monday, January 6, 2020

Tying Trump's Hands
 
Progressive leaders in Congress are all in on resisting President Trump, even as he tries to rein in Iran's rogue regime.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that the House of Representatives will vote this week on a resolution invoking the War Powers Act to cease hostilities against Iran in 30 days.  Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) is introducing the resolution in the Senate. 
 
I am curious about something:  When did Iran announce that it would end hostilities against us?  Or Israel?  Or Iraq?  Or Saudi Arabia?  Or Yemen?  Or Lebanon?  Or Syria?
 
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to the White House yesterday demanding that the president declassify the notice he sent to Congress regarding the operation to terminate Gen. Soleimani. 
 
Schumer and Menendez told the president that such critical national security matters must be shared with the American people, and that the classified notice was neither appropriate nor justified "in a democratic society."
 
Two things jumped out at me.  The military and intelligence leadership of our country, the people progressives insist the president is ignoring, evidently contacted the White House and told the president that they had a narrow window in which to act and requested his direction.  But it seems Schumer and Menendez are upset that the president acted on that advice. 
 
And there's the bigger irony.  When conservatives have insisted on declassifying the information the FBI and the CIA relied on to promote the Russian collusion hoax and to obtain FISA warrants to spy on Carter Page, every progressive vehemently resisted those efforts as "irresponsible" and damaging to "methods and sources." 
 
Think about that.  Liberals see no threat to our "democratic society" in taking down the duly-elected president based on a hoax, but when it comes to taking out one of the world's worst terrorists, suddenly there's no threat to declassifying methods and sources.
 
By the way, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz writes that the strike on Soleimani was an "easy call."  Dershowitz adds that the president's authority to take military action is "extremely broad, especially when the actions must . . . be kept secret from the intended target."
 
 
 
Reagan & Trump
 
This isn't the first time an American president has confronted Iran militarily.  In 1987, Ronald Reagan ordered strikes on Iranian oil platforms in response to Iranian attacks on U.S.-flagged ships. 
 
Then-Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-WV) called Reagan's action "minimal and appropriate."  Rep. Les Aspin (D-WI), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, suggested Reagan's action was "probably too mild." 
 
Asked about invoking the War Powers Resolution to restrain Reagan from further action, then-Speaker of the House Jim Wright (D-TX) said, "I'm not going to be the one who gives the world a demonstration of a country divided by partisan politics."
 
The "loyal opposition's" statements and actions then couldn't be more different from their statements and actions today.  Clearly, conservative presidents, whether Reagan or Trump, are still willing to confront Iranian aggression when necessary.  So what's changed? 
 
In today's Wall Street Journal, former Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) applauds President Trump's decisive action, writing:
 
"President Trump's order to take out Qasem Soleimani was morally, constitutionally and strategically correct.  It deserves more bipartisan support than the begrudging or negative reactions it has received thus far from my fellow Democrats." 
 
 
 
Left-wing Insanity
 
Pointing out the left's increasingly insane worldview could easily become a regular item!  But Colin Kaepernick really put his ignorance on full display this weekend when he tweeted his thoughts about Soleimani's demise.  He wrote this:
 
"There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.
 
"America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad. [American] militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the non-white world."
 
Kaepernick and the media insisted that his kneeling protests during the national anthem were not anti-law enforcement or anti-military, just pro-social justice.  But his contempt for the police and our military could not be more obvious. 
 
And this is the guy that the NFL bent over backwards to accommodate.  This is the guy that every woke progressive in Hollywood and the media just adores.  This is the guy Nike just had to sign as a "representative" of their brand.
 
Asked about Kaepernick's comments yesterday on Fox News, Sen. Lindsey Graham put it well when he said, "He's a loser on and off the field. . . It's un-American. He's a racist.  If you're looking for racism in America, then Mr. Kaepernick look in the mirror."
 
 
 
Mike Drops The Mic
 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "dropped the mic" on Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, who seemed concerned about President Trump's ability to serve as commander-in-chief.  Consider this exchange:
 
WALLACE"Some analysts suggest that the impeachment of President Trump has emboldened enemies like Iran and North Korea.  Do you think . . .  that some of our enemies think that this president is more vulnerable because of the impeachment effort?"

POMPEO:  "You should ask Mr. Soleimani."
 
But as we know, Mr. Soleimani is not available for comment.