If you blinked today you might have missed it, but we finally saw something in Washington D.C. that might be harder to spot than a unicorn.
Two Republican senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, so disgusted with today's briefing regarding the killing of Iranian General Qassim Soleimani, decided to break ranks with their party and join with Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine to support his War Powers Resolution, which would force any President to go to Congress before unilaterally starting a war.
Members of the President's cabinet provided a 75-minute, bi-partisan briefing to Senators that was suppose to provide clarity as to the justification for Soleimani's killing. According to both Lee and Paul, the briefing did little to address concerns. Lee called it the worst briefing he had ever been a part of. Both men also intimated that they were told not to debate these issues in public.
Why would the briefers say that? The briefers, and I called them that because no one said who all was in the room, suggest that it is to show a united front to the enemy (Iran). The old Bush doctrine: anyone who disagrees with the President is not patriotic. However, the more likely reason the briefers told the senators not to debate these issues in public is that the briefers wanted Congress to fall in line behind this President - the most narcissistic chief executive we have ever had.
If you here him tell it, he has yet to be wrong in 73 years of life - kind of like Christ. Perfect! Asinine.
Given the fact that we have an impulsive maniac as our commander-in-chief, Kaine, Durbin, Paul and Lee are correct. It is time for Congress to take back their Constitutional obligation (Article 1, Section 8) of taking a vote when it comes to sending Americans off to war. It is even more important at this particular moment because the briefers even suggested that if further military action was needed against Iran, they would come up with a reason to justify it. WHAT?
It is long overdue for Congress to assert itself as the co-equal branch of government that it is. Up to this point the only thing standing between democracy and dictatorship is the fact that the judicial branch has not abdicated its authority over to Mr. Trump and his conspirators.
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