A sigh of relief swept through the Capitol following the announcement made by Donald Trump Wednesday that would prevent a military response to the iranian attack on two u.s. bases in Iraq, a seemingly very calculated aggression, the more clear and direct on the part of Tehran in decades of conflict, which produced no victims. But relief has given way immediately to the offensive of the democrats to fight for control of Congress on the military powers of the representative. The House of Representatives has approved on Thursday in the afternoon (for 226 to 193 votes, an initiative of the democratic majority to force Trump to lower the military tension with Iran unless it has explicit authorization in the Congress.
The measure would have a priori a few inklings of progress in the Senate, where democrats are in the minority. But since Wednesday afternoon, two republican senators indicated that they would be willing to vote in favor of the measure if it reaches the upper House. This would not guarantee the approval, but a vote extremely tight: republicans occupy with 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Which implies, in any case, it is a hard scrutiny on the strategy of Trump in Iran, and a debate on the competence of the commander-in-chief of the united States to enter a war.
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Trump renunciation of a military escalation with Iran and announces more sanctions on Iran responds to the united States with a missile attack two bases in Iraq
Nancy Pelosi returned to criticize this Thursday, in an appearance before the press in announcing the initiative that was voted in by the afternoon in the lower House, the operation ordered by the president which led to the execution of the general iranian Qasem Soleimani a week ago in Baghdad. “I don’t think, based on what is in the public domain, that have made our country more secure with what they did,” he said. The “attitude cavalier” of Trump, has added Pelosi, is “amazing”
The president has answered this Thursday at the initiative of Pelosi. “I don’t have to consult the Congress,” he said. “Depends on the circumstances. Sometimes you have to move very fast.” The gop has taken to questioning the political opportunity of the criticism of the president of the House of Representatives. “Pelosi defending this monster… it Is an argument loser politically,” said Trump, in reference to the shot-general in charge of the external action of the Army of iran.
The attack of Iran to two bases iraqis welcoming u.s. soldiers led to the classic division-partisan in the Congress, this time on the strategy of Trump in the middle East. The secretaries of State and Defense, Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper, reported after on Capitol hill, lawmakers from the two Chambers on the details of the decisions taken, and the majority of republicans agreed with the president of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, praising the “patience and prudence” displayed by the Trump.
But there were at least two critical voices. The briefing provided to lawmakers was, in the opinion of the republican senator libertarian tendencies Mike Lee, “insulting and humiliating”. “It was probably the worst briefing I have ever seen, at least in a military issue, in the nine years that I have served in the Senate of the united States”, he added. Another republican senator, Rand Paul, joined Lee in announcing that it would support the initiative democrat to affirm the authority of Congress in decisions of war.
Among the democrats, the criticism of the recent actions of the president were widespread. “I think that, now more than ever, Congress needs to act to protect constitutional provisions on war and peace,” said congressman Gerald Connolly. “I’ve heard the same kind of lies that I heard twenty years ago about the war in Iraq,” said senator Sherrod Brown.
Washington, in sum, is attending these days a change in the focus of the campaign leading up to presidential elections next November. At the start of the election year, the debate on the economy, immigration or health care that was marking the political agenda is being eclipsed by an urgent debate on the foreign policy and military. Less than a month of the first big event in Iowa democratic primary, the conflict with Iran has entered the agenda of the potential rivals to face Trump in the polls.
Sailing the waters of the time of most danger in his three years of presidency, also the own Trump is forced to confront its contradictions. And to manage the delicate balance in his party, including those who are celebrating their campaign of retreat international to the cry of “America first” and who chant the threats and the heavy hand exhibited by Trump towards Iran in recent days. At least for a moment, with his speech on Wednesday, Trump seemed to satisfy both factions. But no one gives an end to the crisis and, beyond a message to the nation calculated to the millimeter, the country you live in slope of the evolution of the discourse in the next few days, by the most spontaneous rallies and tweets.
