By Douglas V. Gibbs
On the way home from a baseball game on Father’s Day we stopped by a market close to home and as I was purchasing a couple items the cashier made mention that she couldn’t believe that President Trump was declaring war against Israel.
What?
Many Americans seem to be ill-informed, and then when they do hear something (usually on mainstream media) they then somehow get it twisted in their minds.
I told the lady that first of all President Trump would not go to war against Israel, he supports Israel. Second, he is determined not to enter into any new war unless it is absolutely necessary. Third, he can’t “declare” war, that is a task given to Congress by the Constitution.
“Oh, that’s right, so he can’t do anything militarily without Congress’s permission,” she said.
“No, that’s not what I said,” I replied.
“Yes it is, you said only Congress can declare war, so it is illegal to go to war without Congress’s permission.”
“The President,” I explained, “is Commander in Chief. He may wage war without permission from Congress, but only with what he has available. If more materials or funding is necessary, then Congress must provide it, or they can choose not to. That’s what cracked me up about the Iraq War. Members of Congress complained about the war, calling it illegal, but they kept funding it. If the President is acting in a way beyond what they want, if he is abusing his power as Commander in Chief, then Congress has the authority to impeach or starve it of funds, and the people have the responsibility to be informed and if they choose make sure he does not get reelected, or that his party loses power, or both. That said, Trump has repeatedly shown he’s about peace through strength, no new war but if a military strike is needed to achieve a goal like Iran not having nuclear weapons, then so be it.”
By the end of the conversation she seemed to get it, or at least she was more informed than she was before the conversation began.
https://patriot.tv/hegseth-says-trumps-stance-on-iran-holds-firm-as-nsc-heads-into-situation-room/
https://thepopulisttimes.com/trump-issues-major-warning-everyone-should-immediately-evacuate-tehran/
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
