Firstly, there is no hysteria on my part.
Secondly, your rhetoric is disingenuous. For example, you allege that I would “prefer a declaration of war so things could really get geared up and escalated”. I have said nothing of the sort. Like your allegation of hysteria, your rhetoric is baseless nonsense.
Thirdly, violating the clear terms of the Constitution is hardly a “semantic consideration”.
The Constitution was not violated...
President Trump did NOT declare war...
President Trump ordered a military operation as his role of Commander in Chief of military forces dictates...
As the Constitution says, only Congress can declare war...
War is NOT declared every single time a military action or operation is required...
To think this is ludicrous.....
Syria claims that when their aircraft bombed the ISIS held town of Khan Sheikhoun a bomb struck an arsenal, that the chemicals are from the arsenal and not from their bomb. Chlorine is the chemical agent suspected.
Is this claim plausible?
In February, 2016, then CIA director John Brennan stated during a “60 Minutes” interview, “We have a number of instances where ISIL has used chemical munitions on the battlefield.” “The CIA believes that ISIS has the ability to manufacture small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cia-director-john-brennan-60-minutes-scott-pelley/
In November, 2016, The New York Times wrote, “The Islamic State has used chemical weapons, including chlorine and sulfur mustard agents, at least 52 times on the battlefield in Syria and Iraq since it swept to power in 2014, according to a new independent analysis.” https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/world/middleeast/isis-chemical-weapons-syria-iraq-mosul.html
October, 2014, The Washington Post reports, “chlorine gas against Iraqi security forces”. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/islamic-state-militants-allegedly-used-chlorine-gas-against-iraqi-security-forces/2014/10/23/c865c943-1c93-4ac0-a7ed-033218f15cbb_story.html
July, 2015, The New York Times reports, “ISIS Has Fired Chemical Mortar Shells”, “The Islamic State appears to have manufactured rudimentary chemical warfare shells” https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/world/middleeast/islamic-state-isis-chemical-weapons-iraq-syria.html
September, 2016, Fox News reports, “ISIS believed to have attacked US base in Iraq with chemical agent” http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09/21/isis-may-have-attacked-us-base-in-iraq-with-chemical-agent.html
The US government believes ISIS possesses and can manufacture chemical weapons, including chlorine. There are reports over the past several years of ISIS using of chemical weapons.
Is there a doubt that ISIS would store or manufacture chemical weapons or their precursors among civilians? ISIS puts people in cages and sets them on fire, hangs people by their limbs and roasts them alive, beheads people, sometimes in mass-beheadings. There is no doubt that ISIS would not hesitate.
The US says it has tracked a Syrian plane from Shayrat Airfield to Khan Sheikoun, and back to Shayrat Airfield. Syria does not dispute this. It does not prove Syria delivered a chemical weapon.
I am not saying Syria did or did not drop chemical munitions, only that Syria’s claim appears plausible.