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No, Killing Soleimani Didn't Require a Congressional Vote
FrontPageMag ^ | Daniel Greenfield | Jan 6, 2020

Posted on 01/06/2020 3:55:49 PM PST by Mr. Mojo

Every time a terrorist gets blown up, the lefty/libertarian caucus cries, "AUMF".

That stands for Authorization for Use of Military Force. In other words, they want Congress to take a vote and declare war and whatnot. There are two things wrong with this argument.

1. The 9/11 AUMF vote (the one Obama wanted Congress to withdraw on his way out) covers a whole range of Islamic terrorists. It was a bipartisan authorization that covers the use of "all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism."

And yes, as the 9/11 Commission Report notes, that includes Iran, which had a hand in harboring and training.

So Iran is already covered by an AUMF. The lefty-libertarian caucus can clamor to have that AUMF withdrawn. They can't however complain that President Trump doesn't have legal authority to launch attacks on Iranian terrorists.

2. Killing an Iranian terror leader outside Iran in Baghdad, which is well within the congressionally authorized scope of military operations, in response to repeated attacks by Soleimani's terrorists against American personnel, has zero AUMF issues.

Congress doesn't need to declare war against specific terrorists before we kill them, if they're attacking us. We don't need an AUMF for self-defense.

Soleimani was killed in response to attacks on US personnel. We had intel suggesting that he had something even nastier than the current rocket attacks and embassy attacks planned.

Iran perpetrated an attack on our embassy in Iraq. And yet the media keeps complaining that the United States is violating international law and bringing the world closer to war.

Attacking an embassy is far more of a violation of international law than killing a terror leader in a war zone.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: 202001; aumf; iran; iraq; qasemsoleimani; qudsforce; usembassyplots
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To: CodeToad

If Congress is warned in advance our soldiers would be killed.


21 posted on 01/06/2020 6:19:28 PM PST by cnsmom
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To: poconopundit

I’m with you.

MAGA-—no matter how long it takes.


22 posted on 01/06/2020 6:54:22 PM PST by frank ballenger (End vote harvesting,non-citizen voting & leftist media news censorship or we are finished.)
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To: Mr. Mojo

Obama launches 2,800 strikes on Iraq, Syria without congressional approval
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/27/congress-still-not-specifically-authorizing-islami/


23 posted on 01/06/2020 6:59:50 PM PST by tbw2
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To: bigbob

How about a GoFundMe to raise airfare for those wishing to participate in a Human Shield demonstration in Iran.

Guided by BHO!
Great roster of Guest Speakers!
Speaker Pelosi!

Democrat Congressional Impeachment leaders!

MSM Talking Heads, including Whoopi, Maddow, Lemon

Hollywood celebrities - George Lopez, Robt DeNiro and a host of others!


24 posted on 01/06/2020 8:08:49 PM PST by BwanaNdege ( Experience is the best teacher, but if you can accept it 2nd hand, the tuition is less!)
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To: Jim Noble
Please stop calling enemy soldiers “terrorists”.

Please stop calling terrorists, "enemy soldiers."

Wake up and smell the f#$king coffee."

gogeo.

25 posted on 01/09/2020 4:42:01 AM PST by gogeo (The left prides themselves on being tolerant, but they can't even be civil.)
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To: gogeo

“War”, “enemy”, and “victory” are all concepts which are undermined by constant use of the terms “terrorism” and “terrorist”.

Can you imagine the current group of inmates at Gitmo being allowed to survive unmolested for more than a decade in the 1940s?

The German “terrorists” who landed at Amagansett on June 12, 1942 were tried, had their appeals heard by the Supreme Court, and were executed on August 8, 1942 - that’s 56 days - because we had a much better grasp then.

The problen at Pearl Harbor wasn’t “pilots”.


26 posted on 01/09/2020 4:57:26 AM PST by Jim Noble (There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know)
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