Trump Plays Toy Soldier as the World Trembles

RELEASE THE DOGS OF WAR!

Maybe not.

At the very least, those of us who have been paying attention, or who count ourselves among the ever-dwindling ranks of voracious consumers of history and world news should be on alert, today.

Let me begin by apologizing for my absence to my regular readers. I took some personal time, but it appears the time was right to reemerge and remind everyone why I am now and forevermore, “NeverTrump.”

So much has happened since I last checked in.

I could start with the impeachment of the gilded toad residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That, however, is dead in the water, as the feckless bootlicks of the GOP-majority in the Senate have made it known that they will do anything to defend their messiah, even at the expense and well-being of our nation.

We should probably just fast forward to the drastic steps taken by President Trump to distract from his legal and political woes at home.

Last Thursday evening, the president ordered a hit on Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

And make no mistake: Soleimani was a bad guy. He carried out atrocities against Americans, as well as his own people.

Normally, when a bad guy falls, there is relief, because his defeat was necessary. Those on the left who took the news of his death as reason to mourn and align themselves with Iran, simply because of their feelings for Donald Trump, are out of their minds.

On the other hand, there are rules to war. At this point, the justification for this hit, which will likely lead to an escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran (as well as their allies), is murky, at best. President Trump and his crew have suggested that Soleimani was planning attacks against our nation and our interests, but where is the proof?

Was Congress notified, beforehand?

Again, murky.

Congress, as representatives of the citizens that vote them into office, are supposed to be notified, in order that the decision to go to war can be weighed against the wishes and best interests of the people. The president, as a co-equal branch of this free republic, is supposed to give the orders and see that the will of the people is carried out.

That doesn’t appear to be the way this was handled, at least, not if you consider the words of some Democrat members of Congress. And no, Democrats aren’t really the most reliable of partners when it comes to defending our national interests against hostile players in the world. That being said, they are a part of our government and they should be heard.

We have an impulsive, unstable man-baby, backed into a corner by his own hubris, soiling himself and throwing a temper tantrum at the world.

I mean, surely I’m not the only one to notice how much more unhinged Trump’s Twitter rants have become, since his impeachment?

On Saturday, he raged about the hit on Soleimani, threatening to order what amounts to war crimes.

“Iran has been nothing but problems for many years,” Trump tweeted. “Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites… some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!”

Hey… remember when the reports of ISIS were in the news, describing how they were moving into various areas of historical importance and destroying treasured artifacts and cultural monuments?

I remember. Just thought this would be a good place to bring that up.

You don’t target civilians or cultural locations in specific, for an attack.

Trump said the 52 sites, which he did not specify, were meant to represent the number of Americans held during the Iranian hostage crisis. Intentionally directing attacks against cultural monuments and religious buildings could constitute a war crime.

Those hostages made it home, thanks to the sound reasoning of a true Conservative statesman, President Ronald Reagan. There’s nothing the Mango Mussolini can do now to top that.

Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter to respond back to Trump’s rant, in kind:

Having committed grave breaches of int’l law in Friday’s cowardly assassinations, @realdonaldtrump threatens to commit again new breaches of JUS COGENS,” Zarif tweeted, referencing the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Quds Force, in Iraq. “Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME.”

“Those masquerading as diplomats and those who shamelessly sat to identify Iranian cultural & civilian targets should not even bother to open a law dictionary. Jus cogens refers to peremptory norms of international law, i.e. international red lines,” Zarif continued. “That is, a big(ly) ‘no no’.”

I’m not going to say killing Soleimani was wrong. I’m not going to say he wasn’t planning something treacherous against the United States.

What I will say is that this matter is delicate and dangerous for the U.S. and her interests, and it comes at a time when we have a bumbling, self-absorbed, inept con man at the helm of political power.

God have mercy on us all.