Once again, a President has taken a war type move without any consultation with Congressional leaders, as President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of the second most prominent Iranian Government leader, the Revolutionary Guard Commander, Qasem Soleimani, at the Baghdad, Iraq Airport by use of a drone strike.
It seems certain that America will have to send massive forces to the Middle East, at the same time that Iraq will probably demand removal of all US forces. There are bound to be reverberations throughout the Middle East, and it will endanger Americans and other foreigners in the Middle East, and specifically, will likely target Israel for engagement in war.
The thought that Iran might have the capability to strike the United States on the mainland, another September 11 type operation, has to be on the minds of many Americans this morning. It will certainly, at the least, cause heightened alert at airports and other sites in America, and dramatically cut tourism to Europe and the Middle East, and cause massive increases in oil prices that will harm the world economy.
Donald Trump has taken a rash action, and many will think it is to shore up his support for reelection, even as he faces an impeachment trial in the near term.
One must realize that no President has ever lost reelection when America is in the middle of a war, and that fact should sober all Americans.
The effort to remove Donald Trump from the Presidency will continue in earnest, but with growing fear that it will not succeed in the short term or long term.
Having said all of the above, it must also be said that the death of this evil Iranian military and intelligence leader, who committed terrorism on a wide scale by his direct orders, was based on the reality that he had caused the deaths, directly or indirectly, of hundreds of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last generation.
But to have a President authorize the assassination of a foreign leader in another foreign nation is unprecedented, and the full ramifications of this act are far from certain or understandable at this point so soon after the traumatic event, starting off the 2020s!
The likelihood of war, and not a short or easily won war, seems sadly certain, and will further add to the national debt and to the death count of Americans fighting overseas in wars that were avoidable in the past 75 years, including Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan!
The orange fool is obviously trying to get impeachment out of the headlines.
Trump is now guilty of reckless endangerment.
Very ironic: 9 years ago, Trump repeatedly said Obama would start war with Iran to get reelected.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/476631-trump-repeatedly-said-obama-would-start-war-with-iran-to-get-elected
Responses by Democratic candidates to Trump’s warmongering: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/3/1909214/-Democratic-hopefuls-respond-to-Trump-s-war-mongering
Very well said, Professor.
My only comment is that my guess is that Mr Trump, his owners, operators, handlers, and script writers would love nothing better than another 9/11. That would absolutely guarantee his re-election; if an election would even happen.
And i must ask a question. You wrote:
“Having said all of the above, it must also be said that the death of this evil Iranian military and intelligence leader, who committed terrorism on a wide scale by his direct orders, was based on the reality that he had caused the deaths, directly or indirectly, of hundreds of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last generation.”
Does that mean that Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, etc have the right to terminate with extreme prejudice every American leader who ~ by their orders ~ have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of their peoples over the last generation?
Exactly, Rustbelt. Dumb Dumb Trump is clearly wagging the dog.