THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE CONSERVATIVE GUARDIAN. PASS IT ON.
Mitt Romney and Nancy Pelosi have no business interfering with the work of America’s commander in chief, especially offering self-serving criticism of how President Trump has handled the sectarian battle between Turkish and Kurdish combatants. Let me un-pack this political kerfuffle for you.
Trump was elected in part because of his promise to keep America out of “endless, senseless” foreign wars. He reiterated on Thursday in Dallas the heartbreak of standing with grieving families to pay respects as coffins arrive at Dover Air Base. And what have we accomplished? The Taliban and Iranian ayatollahs are still America’s enemy. Kurds and Palestinians still want homelands. The US no longer needs Arab petroleum.
Democrats are now the military hawks??? A week ago, John Kerry called Trump’s removal of 50 to 100 US military from northern Syria a “shocking betrayal” that could lead to Kurdish “genocide” and Iranian hegemony in the Middle East. Mind you, this is same Democrat who urged Congress to throw the South Vietnamese to the Viet Cong wolves and not worry about communist hegemony in southeast Asia.
Nancy Pelosi is no part of the solution. The White House invited congressional leaders to brief them on the Turkish-Kurdish situation – not invite them to be co-commanders in chief. Pelosi and Schumer told Trump his approach was wrong – capped off by Pelosi’s cheap shot: “All roads with you lead to Putin.” And she was surprised Trump hit back? The picture is clear: Pelosi stood up to wag her finger at Trump – – in his house. And she claimed he had a meltdown? Hey – keep your seat, sister!
Do we want a president to do the right thing or do things right? The mainstream media (and Chuck Schumer) is quoting retired generals, who are restricted to waging war the “right” way – not determine if military intervention is the “right” thing. Generals remain under civilian control to prevent “endless and senseless” wars. Even if Trump did not negotiate with Erdogan the right way, did he do the right thing in avoiding our involvement in yet another Middle East war?
The Middle East is just one big sectarian powder keg. Just like the Palestinians, the Kurds want a homeland. This would be carved out of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey: a Kurdish nationalist dream since 1880 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Yes, the Kurds have fought against ISIS, but the US has never supported the formation of Kurdistan. Yes, Erdogan did tell Trump last week he was launching a unilateral operation to create a buffer zone, but Trump did remind the Turkish president of America’s long opposition to such a move.
Where are Americans prepared to fight around the world? I hate to be a party pooper, but the US is powerless to stop regional provocations – and the rest of the world knows it. Erdogan can bear the risk of war with the US, just as Iran has risked in the Persian Gulf, Russia in Ukraine, and China in the South China Sea. Perhaps Trump is a strategic thinker: has $5.9 trillion spent on foreign wars since 9-11 damaged America’s financial solvency with little return? Is he just that wrong to go another direction?