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Mike Lee and the Need for Discretion in Foreign Policy
Senator Mike Lee of Utah recently got hot over a Trump administration briefing that he saw as disrespectful. According to Lee, when pressed about what exactly the Trump administration needed congressional approval for, the administration responded by saying there were almost no limits. As to legal justification, the administration officials responded, “I’m sure we could think of something.” Well, Senator Lee was mad, as he should be. The power that Congress has ceded to the executive in matters of foreign policy has exceeded the time horizon envisioned in its initial approval of the war on terror. It’s well past time to reign the executive back in.
I’m afraid, however, that Senator Lee in his anger has made an unforced blunder with his bluster. When to speak is as important as what is said, particularly in matters of foreign policy. Right now, Trump is in the middle of a standoff which requires that any threat he makes, either real or implied, be credible. If the Senate or, even worse, a handful of senators even give a hint that they won’t follow through with retaliatory action, mixed messages are sent to Iran. Mixed messages lead to miscalculation, and miscalculation in foreign policy leads to bloodshed.
The Trump administration attempted to deescalate the rising problem of Iranian aggression with deterrent action. Mike Lee out of personal pique is threatening to throw this clear strategy into disarray. It’s past time for the Congress to take back the control afforded to it by the Constitution, but prudence dictates patience.
Published in General
You didn’t reveal how this was enabled. I assume advance word was spread.
Trump is capable of matching them unpredictability for unpredictability.
You are aware that we need to define that word now, right?
If that claim about what the position of your opponents is true, then it is obvious to every reasonable person that you were right. You’ve framed the position of those who disagree with you in a way that there is no need to for you to offer any rational argument for your position.
It’s a common technique of debate.
And that’s a feature, not a bug. It seems he has successfully drawn a red line, though. You kill one of ours, we kill one (or more) of yours. Works for me.
Mark, I think that that whole paragraph has a null value.
Article 1 section 8
”The Congress shall have power…”
“To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years”
It’s an enumerated power. No real ambiguity there. Congress periodically temporarily cedes that power to the executive in times of war, but ultimately the power reverts back to Congress whenever they want it to.
Some reporting says intelligence sources including spy networks and satellite images. Others are saying the Iraqis told us that they were tipped off. I assume it’s both.
I think Mike Lee’s comments were inexplicable. I suppose it was a poor briefing but he should realize there were Democrats present and they cannot be trusted with sensitive information. I’m as NeverTrump as they come and I would not trust those partisan hacks one inch. Lee should know that by now.
An attack by Iran was not only imminent, it was certain. Trump did the right thing to finally answer Iran’s aggression and also to pull the veil away from Iran trying to claim that these attacks were performed by others and not by their proxies.
I hope that Iran now knows that it will no longer hide behind proxies or to see attacks on the US receive no retaliation. At least until the Democrats regain power.
However, as usual, Trump managed to speak stupidly and to give his enemies and our enemies needless ammunition. The speech was good. Trump relying on his gut to make stupid tweets about attacking cultural sites was bad.
But Lee should make it clear that Trump did the right thing and you don’t need a security briefing to know that Iran is a clear and present danger. You just need to look at the last 8 months … and 40 years.
One of these things is not like the other. It might just be that you are not as NeverTrump as they come.
Tom Cotton didn’t seem to think so. He said it was “thorough.”
Jack Anderson? Nobody <50 even knows who he is. So, I’ll take your word for it.
Congress hasn’t declared war since WWII. Now, suddenly, in order to off the most lethal terrorist commander in the world, we have to wait for Congress to decide? We all know how that’s going to work out. Salami would be orchestrating attacks on Americans for another 20 years. All because Orange Man Bad.
Sorry, don’t buy it.
Oh yes I am. I am just not a Democrat pretending to be a NeverTrump Republican.
I call it the “trueCon” debating tactic….where anyone an inch more moderate than you are is a complete and utter tool of the Left. See anything Michelle Malkin writes for more examples.
Yeah, it was a long time ago, but I used that example for a specific reason. There are different levels of security. Everyone can see weapon systems such as the F-35 even if most of the capabilities are classified. In the IC, a capability can be negated if its existence becomes known. As soon as Anderson reported the existence of that specific capability, its usefulness dropped to zero. Lee has no business asking about sources and methods because he has no compelling need to know.
Well, no. Mike Lee and Rand Paul have been beating this drum for a long time. This isn’t because it’s Trump, not for them.
You can’t be a NeverTrump and say he did the right thing. Because then you aren’t never. You are RarelyTrump.
Well, you aren’t, but thats OK, I won’t go “true NT” on you and trash you for using that ugly phrase “Trump did the right thing”. We’ll take a few NT defections on this….and welcome the isolationist Right, like Lee, Paul, and Tucker Carlson. Even Ann Coulter trashed Trump on Iran
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/iranians-are-no-threat-to-americans-ann-coulter-blasts-trump-focus-on-iran-instead-of-this-hemisphere
The strike wouldn’t need specific clearance from Congress, but in my ideal world with the Constitution being followed, war powers would be debated and approved by Congress at least every 2 years when appropriations need to be reconsidered.
The fact that Congress hasn’t declared war doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have. Also they did authorize force in 2001 fulfilling their constitutional duty. In my opinion it’s past time to reconsider this authorization, but it’s up to the Congress to act. However, I would caution against any action till the immediate situation with Iran dies down.
Or it could be early warning radar coupled with SBIRS. Causing the AADC to issue the appropriate warnings to affected forces in the area. You can read about it here. Just download and read the publication. It tells how it supposed to work.
IMHO, HUMINT doesn’t have the PED speed to get inside a decision loop measured in double digit minutes.
(SRBM or MRBM launch to impact times are very short)
Since they have been voting on appropriations every year, what makes you think those conversations haven’t occurred?
For me, NeverTrump means not voting for him. I haven’t yet and seeing as he can’t seem to stop talking like a fool, it is probable that I never will.
If only he could follow up the good things he does with reasonable, adult behavior. But he can’t, or won’t. So I remain NeverTrump while recognizing that he did the right thing … before he said the wrong thing.
The New York Times had a breakdown on the afternoon. I know. I know. And I heard on more than one podcast that Iraq was tipped off first. Not exactly authoritative but I had no reason to doubt it
For me, the fact that they vote on those omnibus appropriations every year would suggest that the individual items don’t get much consideration. That, and the fact that it is extremely rare for an agency’s bad behavior to result in a budget cut. Usually it’s quite the opposite.
I take it you didn’t read the publication.
Tipped off to what, exactly.
The Iranians were chapped?
They were going to respond?
In an unpredictable fashion?
They were thinking of shooting MRBMs?
Did they know the exact time of launch?
Did US forces just decide to stand down for the next week in anticipation of an attack?
Doesn’t work that way.
Missiles launched, were detected, plotted and tracked. Warnings were triggered. People left their hooches and took cover. Missiles impacted. (Those that hit actual things were far more accurate than I would have given the Iranians credit for.)
No one was injured because they had tactical warning and followed procedures.
I am talking about the back room conversations that happen every year. Obviously, things get talked about there before they come up for a vote on the floor.
If Congress doesn’t think it’s a problem then I’m not going to gain say then.
Haven’t had time. I’ll get around to it when I get a sec. This is what I read http://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/us/politics/trump-iran-suleimani.html
Sad to have one claiming your political positioning not willing to recognize and acknowledge publicly the foolish and childish reaction and behaviors the political opposition to President Trump’s election as POTUS has visited on him for three years. In the meantime, he has done great things and there might be much more there without the Democrat games. I doubt there is another potential candidate out there who would survive what President Trump has had to endure. I hope you will vote for him in 2020.