(01-16-2020, 12:01 AM)MalabarJag Wrote:

(01-15-2020, 08:47 PM)copycat Wrote: Absolutely correct.  I stated it several times right here when Obama was using executive orders to bypass congress, just wait until the shoe is on the other foot.  That is the problem with everyone of the short sighted partisan people on both sides of the isle, It's always ok if it is my guy, regardless of how far away we get from checks and balances.

I strongly opposed many of Obama's actions in the war theater, in particular the Libyan offensive. Libya did not attack the US and Gaddafi was not a threat to the US (or NATO). I also opposed his paying ransoms to terrorists.

OTOH I had no problem with Obama taking out terrorists in drone attacks. Targeting the terrorist leaders while preventing civilian deaths as much as possible is exactly the way the US should respond to terrorism. Comparing a pinpoint response using a drone or missile with sending American children to die in Vietnam (or Iraq) is disingenuous.

In this case, Iran has attacked the US, which is an act of war. Trump did not declare war on Iran and congress doesn't need to since the war has already been started by the enemy. There is a lot of discussion that the Constitutional requirement of congress to declare war was only meant to apply to a war the US starts. If a foreign country invades the US and starts bombing US cities we don't get to just claim we're not at war. Historically congress has responded anyway with a counter declaration of war in such cases. We're in a whole new realm when the ruling party in the House will put their hatred of the President above defending the US.