See, now, if Obama (or Clinton) had done this, they’d be cheering. Killing one of the biggest terrorist fish in the sea would have been considered super-awesome. They’d be writing hosannas, telling us that Obama (or Clinton) had safeguarded American lives and stood up for the hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans killed due to Suleimani’s actions, not too mention all the Iraqis and Syrians and Israelis. But, Orange Man Bad
(NY Times Editorial Board) The real question to ask about the American drone attack that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani was not whether it was justified, but whether it was wise. Many pieces of the puzzle are still missing, but the killing is a big leap in an uncertain direction. (snip)
It may well be that General Suleimani had come to Iraq in part to plot the next move against United States military personnel or civilians when his car was blown up by a missile from an American Reaper drone. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior commander of a Shiite militia in Iraq, was also killed. But then, General Suleimani and his whereabouts have long been well known to American and other intelligence services, and Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama had resisted killing him for fear of setting off a greater conflict with Iran and further destabilizing a chronically volatile region.
Assassinating General Suleimani, moreover, was not the same as hunting down Osama bin Laden or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leaders of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, both terrorists who answered to no government. General Suleimani was a senior official of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and openly targeting him was a sharp escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran, all but taunting Iran to strike back. And that by a president who had previously demonstrated strong aversion to American involvement in the Middle East, contempt for intelligence from the region and occasional reluctance to order the use of military force.
See, he was a horrible person, potentially involved in a plan to kill more Americans, but, it might not have been wise to stop this. Because….no matter what they are writing, it all comes down to Orange Man Bad.
Coming as Mr. Trump awaits Senate trial on his impeachment by the House of Representatives, the president’s ordering of the assassination raised discomfiting questions about his motive.
Timing questioning!!!! And then the Washington Post Editorial Board
Yes, Soleimani was an enemy. That doesn’t mean Trump made the right call.
MAJ. GEN. Qasem Soleimani was an implacable enemy of the United States who was responsible for hundreds of American deaths, as well as countless atrocities in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere. His death in a drone strike was being cheered Friday by U.S. allies and progressive forces across the region, from Israelis and Saudis to the pro-reform demonstrators of Beirut and Baghdad. That, however, doesn’t mean that President Trump’s decision to assassinate him was wise, or that it will ultimately benefit U.S. interests.
Should have stopped after “Baghdad.”
The consequences of the strike are unpredictable, but there is no denying the risk that the United States will be pulled more deeply into the Middle East and its conflicts. Having made clear that he wants to pull the nation out of those conflicts, and having said as recently as Tuesday that he wanted peace with Iran, Mr. Trump has committed an act of escalation and now is deploying more than 4,000 additional troops to Kuwait as a hedge against Iranian counterstrikes.
It was clearly a message that said “don’t f*ck with the United States under Donald Trump. We won’t be sending a Strongly Worded Note.” Then there’s this silliness in the NJ Star Ledger by William Lambers
Instead of bombs, send diplomacy and food to Iran, Iraq, rest of the Middle East
President Trump ordering bombings in Iraq and the Middle East will do nothing to bring peace to the region. It will only escalate tensions and lead to more violence and war. We need a different approach.
We should use diplomacy, including reinstating the Iran nuclear deal. We should send more food to the starving peoples of the Middle East. We should do more to help the millions of refugees from Middle East wars. These are actions that can bring us stability and peace.
So, instead of whacking the guy responsible for American deaths, we should send food and Hallmark cards? Say, how’d it work out sending pallets of cash to Iran, as well as removing sanctions that allowed Iran to sell their oil and become flush with cash?
That’s enough hot-takes for the moment.
