1mo ago

Trump Reportedly Greenlights Plan for US Attack on Iran Without Congressional Approval

www.commondreams.org

Trump Reportedly Greenlights Plan for US Attack on Iran Without Congressional Approval | Common Dreams

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BrikoX @lemmy.zip

1mo ago

US | Trump Reportedly Greenlights Plan for US Attack on Iran Without Congressional Approval

www.commondreams.org /news/trump-approves-iran-attack

27 comments

if you actually expected trump to seek congressional approval for going to war, or anything else, then you're in for a rough rest of your life
- The Republicans are letting him do it though. Remember these moments.
  
  The entire country is letting him do it.
- For everyone's awareness, Congress hasn't voted on a Declaration of War since 1942. Every single conflict we've been involved in since WWII has been initiated by some sort of executive fiat, with Congress claiming authority over war through "appropriations and oversight." This particular issue has been fucked for decades.
  
  This is the only fact, the ONLY fact that matters. Congress has abdicated its authority? No, the entire American electorate has abdicated its authority. Would it have meant death and destruction in the streets of every American city to take it back? Yes. Will the consequence of NOT taking it back mean the same?
Why not? He does anything he wants, with full support of HIS party. And none of those bastards say anything. People who voted for him and people who didn't vote for anyone are to blame for this fucker to be in power.
- Why not?
  Because Trump doesn't like losing. Iran has already shot down four F-35Is, plus dropping bombs all over Tel Aviv to the horror of the Israelis who thought Iron Dome made them impervious to consequences. The 2002 Millennium Challenge already taught us that an invasion of Iran would be a bloodbath far in excess of our Iraqi Adventure. And Trump fucking knows it, because he was one of the most public critics of Bush's War back when popular opinion soured in 2008.
  He needs someone in the room who can convince him that Iran will be a quick and easy win. Alternatively, someone willing to hand him a truly prodigious new bribe. And if he sees Israelis getting their teeth kicked in? While MBS and the Qatars are sitting on the sidelines making the "stop fucking our shit up, we don't need this right now" hand gestures?
  Like, that's the whole thing about Donnie. He's a mercenary, not a Cheney-style Neocon with delusions of global domination. If this were Costa Rica or Tunisia or Cyprus? A country that couldn't hit back? Ab-so-fucking-lutely. Same reason he was so eager to drop bombs over Yemen (until they hit back and he got annoyed at his Beautiful Generals pooching it).
  But he doesn't want to go down as The President Who Lost An Aircraft Carrier. When he's got a liquored up fuckboi as his Secretary of Defense and he routinely disses his own commanders for incompetence, he doesn't need this right now. Less actual wars, more sending in the Marine Corps Gestapo to gun down rioters in LA.
  He doesn't want to do this on his own.
  But he'll happily let Congress do a big vote to take the blame.
Illegal and another reason to IMPEACH HIM NOW.
- Yes because the legal system was sooooo effective last time.
- Per the war powers act, the president can dispatch Marines for 30 days without approval from Congress. When Obama violated that in Syria, nothing happened outside of a lawsuit filed by Rand Paul that went nowhere. My guess is when trump inevitably violates it, nothing will happen even harder.
I love how when I was hearing about them looking at this, I was getting responses from people "It requires congressional approval" over and over. This is my shocked face.

27 comments