What choices do homeland security specialists have when a Russia backed POTUS tries to start a war, to stay in power despite impeachment?
We have a huge problem, people and in the end homeland security specialists are going to have to make a very tough call. FTR what precisely did Trump just do which created this FUBAR ? Do we need to revisit the War Powers act?
My statement is that Sulimani was no threat to CONUS itself and that the War Powers act, of 1973 would require presidential fidelity compliance by stating how the individual targeted for rendition off planet be a threat to the Western hemisphere.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/War-Powers-Act
quote:
War Powers ActUNITED STATES [1973]
WRITTEN BY: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
War Powers Act, law passed by the U.S. Congress on November 7, 1973, over the veto of Pres. Richard Nixon. The joint measure was called the War Powers Resolution, though the title of the Senate-approved bill, War Powers Act, became widely used.
The act sought to restrain the president’s ability to commit U.S. forces overseas by requiring the executive branch to consult with and report to Congress before involving U.S. forces in foreign hostilities. Widely considered a measure for preventing “future Vietnams,” it was nonetheless generally resisted or ignored by subsequent presidents, many of whom regarded it as an unconstitutional usurpation of their executive authority. Since the passage of this joint resolution, presidents have tended to take actions that have been “consistent with” rather than “pursuant to” the provisions of the act—in some cases, seeking congressional approval for military action without invoking the law itself. Members of Congress have complained that they have not been given timely notification of or sufficient details regarding some military engagements. Some legislators have gone to court (unsuccessfully) to seek adjudication of what they believe to have been violations of the act. Increasingly, presidents have identified resolutions taken by the United Nations or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as justification for military intervention.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.
End of quote
The problem is, that howTrump initiated the killing of the Quds commander is (while in a very narrow sense in wartime speak) understandable, but it violates the War Power act .The problem is that Sulimani was no threat to CONUS. So, the killing , was in flagrant violation of the above act for one highly specific reason- Sulimani was no threat to the American homeland. Pompeo in a slavishly humiliating fashion kept adhering to talking about the Middle East, and Sulimani but gave no evidence CONUS was at risk.
Quote
Mike Pompeo admits on live TV there was no threat to the American homeland from Suleimani
Published 4 hours ago on January 3, 2020
Given the potential enormous risks of destabilizing the region, the Trump administration needed a strong justification for launching the strike that killed infamous Iranian military leader Qassim Suleimani. But when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on CNN to defend the strike, asserting that Suleimani posed an imminent threat, he struggled to respond to some of John Berman’s questions.
“[Was there a] specific target overseas?” asked Berman.
“I’m not going to say anything more about the nature of the attack, but know this was not just in Iraq,” said Pompeo. “It was using the proxy forces he has manipulated for so long to bring so much destruction to the Shias, Sunnis and Muslims throughout the region. He inflicted harm not only on American lives but created terrible activities supporting Hezbollah, Hamas. Qassim Suleimani was at the center of all of it.”
“Any imminent threat to the U.S. homeland?” Berman pressed him.
“These were threats that were located in the region,” said Pompeo.
“When I ask about the timing, the reason I’m asking is because General Suleimani, as you well know, has been an enormous threat to the United States and U.S. interests for decades.”
“We’ve heard from Iraqi leaders so far condemning the U.S. action,” said Berman. “We heard from a French official this morning putting out a statement saying that the world is less safe following the killing of General Suleimani. And the concern there, no one is saying General Suleimani was a good actor. He was a bad actor. What they’re suggesting is the destabilization will create a threatening environment. When you hear from France, the world is a less safe place this morning, how do you respond to that?”
“Yeah, well, the French are just wrong about that,” said Pompeo. “The world is a much safer place today. And I can assure you Americans in the region are much safer today after the demise of Qassim Suleimani … the Iranian people know that America is a force for the good in the region.”
end of quote
In essence, Presidents utilizing military force really are required to show their actions are a counter to a threat to the US Homeland.
Sulimani simply did not fit that bar.
Nor only WAS the war powers act violated, Trump also did this as a monumental distraction from impeachment
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/iran-blew-it-donald-trump-just/24122/
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All that Trump had to do was blow up an ammo dump or two in Iran, and call it a day. He’d have been widely praised by the media for carrying out the correct proportional response. Instead, he overplayed his hand by taking out Qasem Soleimani. Trump seemed to think he’d get credit for taking out a notorious monster. But while no American is going to miss Soleimani, the reality is that Trump’s response was not a proportional one, but an escalatory one. It’s so over the top, Iran will now have to respond in some way, in order to save face with its own people.
Donald Trump has consistently shown that he’s afraid of war. It’s been clear all along that he fears a war could finish off what’s left of his teetering presidency. But now that he’s forcing Iran to respond in kind, he’ll soon face a no-win situation where he has to either escalate things further in response, or humiliate himself by not responding. If Trump gets us into a war with Iran, his reelection odds will drop to zero. No matter how many times the media makes the braindead claim that war can somehow magically get an unpopular president reelected, it’s a laugh-out-loud false narrative. Even Trump knows it.
end of quote
The fact is, that Trump wishes to get the rah rah rah excitement of war while being able to frame Schumer, Schiff, and Pelosi as unpatriotic, if impeachment is seriously voted upon.
Great , Trump. Kill several hundred people. All you need to do now is, ahem arrest Schiff for a fake treason charge. I.e. throttle impeachment.
I.e. its a little too late for that. Alexandra Chalupa, and other activists are making phone calls to people in Congress, and even the lowest level reporter knows that this killing was done to try to cement in a "guaranteed " 2020 "win" for Trump
Once that is out there in memes, the entire narrative for using Sulimani for re-election looks far less competent
Andrew Beckwith, PhD,