I have many thoughts on the Syria situation. And none lead me to a a good spot.
The poison gas attacks were horrible, unspeakable. They definitely needed some response. I know that the pictures of suffering children affected 45. They affected us all.
A President who acts impulsively on the Tweet Toilet or in calling for acts of war is a very dangerous fellow. This situation scares me.
I'm a pacifist at heart and impulsively sending 59 Tomahawk missiles does not sit well with me. Neither does the fact that SCROTUS notified Russia before the attack but didn't consult with the US Congress. And neither does the fact that it was Russia's failure / complicity / nod-and-wink that allowed Syria to have these weapons when Russia promised to take them away.
I listened to some pundits on the radio afterwards, and I heard them say more than once when the question of the three-inch fool's attitudes and beliefs from 2013 are in conflict with his actions now: "But now he's President." As if that excused his turnaround in his professed beliefs and excused his actions that he took rather impulsively.
Yes he's "President" now. But no, Presidents do not act without considering long-term consequences. Presidents consult with the Legislative Branch, as required by the Constitution, before engaging in acts of war. Presidents strive to understand the issues.
My first thought, when he bombed the airfield, was that he didn't understand or forgot that Russia props up al-Assad. Or that Russia promised to make sure that the chemical weapons were removed. I know for sure he didn't think of the consequences or even the next step. And I don't think that he has the people around him who could help him suss that out.
And he is a hypocrite to the nth degree to think that bombing an airfield will help the children of Syria but he can still "look them in the face" and tell them they are not welcome to seek refuge in the United States. The fact that his "empathy" for the tortured Syrian babies takes the form of missiles and not welcoming them off flights to the US --- it makes me sick.
Trump, then: "I can look at their face and say 'you can't come here.'"— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 9, 2017
Trump, now: "No child of God should ever suffer such horror." pic.twitter.com/pRyCf3a57H
Trump, now: "No child of God should ever suffer such horror." pic.twitter.com/pRyCf3a57H — NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 9, 2017
The cynic in me --and you have to be cynical in analyzing any of TЯ UMP's words and actions-- believes that he took this golden opportunity to take the focus off the bed he shares with Putin just when Congress is about to take a 2-week recess.
It surprises me a bit that so many members of Congress were OK with the attack and with him acting without consulting them. Support cut across party lines. I wasn't surprised about his spineless lap-dogs supporting it, but I was surprised by support from the Democrats, including people I respect, including my own Senator Feinstein (Senator Harris has not issued a statement) and John McCain, who has had my respect for many years. I've liked and respected him since he ran for President, and I think he has good points, not all of which I agree with, in these comments to "Face the Nation":
I heard some say, "He has smart people surrounding him and giving him advice." But not enough, in my opinion. Yes, he has some good military minds to help him. But let's be clear: he has a bare-bones staff. There are reports about the many vacancies that still exist in the State Department. It makes me nervous that the staff is bare-boned and led by an oil tycoon and not a person well-versed in foreign policy. We're going into war. We need good minds, and lots of them, to figure this out.
But it all comes back to the children. We must make it clear to our Members of Congress: No matter what happens in the escalation of the US's involvement in Syria, we must have a plan that includes humanitarian actions, including lifting the lamp for the huddled masses of Syrian refugees to take shelter here.
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