The U.S. military is currently fighting wars in seven different countries, but that hasn’t stopped Sen. John Cornyn from embracing the chance to start yet another war, this time with Iran.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump authorized the fatal bombing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani, Iran’s top general.
Sen. John Cornyn, who has hawkishly approved Trump’s steady march to war with Iran for years including backing the president’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal, is once again beating the drums of war by gushing over Trump’s airstrike.
Like Trump and other Republicans, Cornyn has suggested the targeting of Soleimani was a necessary step to protect Americans in the Middle East from an “imminent” threat from Iranian-backed forces.
Both Republicans and Democrats have raised concerns over Soleimani, who has spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East against the U.S. and its allies for decades.
But so far, the Administration has not provided evidence of the threat. Reporters and Democratic lawmakers remain skeptical about the classified intelligence reports that were cited by the White House as the reasoning behind killing the Iranian general. After all, it wouldn’t be the first Republican administration to drag the U.S. into war by presenting misleading and dubious intelligence reports as fact.
Texas Democrats have also joined the congressional chorus condemning Trump for the sudden drone strike done without congressional approval. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) warned on Twitter that the president’s reckless decision made violent acts against Americans more likely and urged Congress to enforce the War Powers Act to prevent the president from going to war with Iran.
“Trump falsely accused President Obama of plotting to attack Iran to aid his reelection. Now, facing impeachment, the master of distraction recklessly yet deliberately risks war,” tweeted Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin).
Democrats vying to replace Cornyn in 2020 have also weighed in on Trump’s reckless airstrike, touching upon the fact that as Senators, they would vote to rein in Trump’s ability to go to war:
“President Trump’s decision to direct the drone strike resulting in the killing of a top Iranian military leader without consulting congressional leadership is irresponsible, and flies in the face of the constitution and decades of collaboration between the executive and legislative branches of government,” wrote State Senator Royce West in a statement.
Recent polling has shown three-quarters of Americans, including most Republicans, are against a war with Iran.
Trump’s decision to escalate tensions with Iran while keeping Americans and much of Congress in the dark about it comes a month after a bombshell Washington Post report, “The Afghanistan Papers,” revealed the 18-year war has been a losing, unwinnable battle.
Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
