WWIII is not around the corner & the killing of Soleimani may actually force Iran to rethink its aggressive moves against U.S. interests in the Middle East http://bit.ly/35lVeCH my new piece for @jdforward
And here's a Twitter thread.
4. Soleimani wasn't a US ally in the fight against ISIS. His complicity in Assad's mass displacement/murder of millions of Syrians (including via repeated chemical weapons attacks), and patronage of Iraq's violent Shia militias fueled the Sunni radicalism that helped spawn ISIS.
- 10. As usual, Ayatollah Khamenei must careful calibrate his reaction. A weak response risks losing face, an excessive response risks losing his head. Khamenei is Trump's most consequential international adversary in 2020: https://time.com/5691642/iran-supreme-leader-ali-khamenei-trump/ ……
I'm not crying for Qassim Soleimani. I'm not jumping for joy over his death but I'm not crying for him.
I think Elizabeth Warren nailed it.
Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans. But this reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict. Our priority must be to avoid another costly war.
"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Friday, January 3, 2019. US dubbed terrorist Qasem Solemani is killed
by a US airstrike and suddenly it's time to remember Iraq (for a
fraction of a second) and protest?
Speaker Pelosi says President Trump carried out the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander in Iraq without the consultation of Congress.
#NoIranWar
nbcnews.com/news/us-news/p…
Who gives a damn that you weren't consulted?
Margaret Kimberley Retweeted
Why would this be ok ..with congressional authorization ????
Procedural etiquette or no...you still seem to think you have the right to hand out death sentences and destabilize entire nations, this is sociopathic
That is the least of the issues today. Just shut up, Nancy, you've never opposed a drone strike before.
Just learned that the assassination of
Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was carried out by a drone.
The Obama administration bears responsibility for the massive development of a drone assassination program that it widely & regularly used without express Congressional approval.
Nancy also didn't oppose war on Iran.
Pelosi voted for Trump's NDAA which stripped a provison that would have prevented unauthorized war with Iran.
She sided with Trump and warhawks on this, as did 188 other Democrats.
41 Dems like AOC, Ilhan Omar, Tulsi Gabbard, Ro Khanna, and Joe Kennedy voted no.
"Just shut up" is my attitude period. I'm just not in the mood. I don't sleep well normally. But I never understood "tossed and turned" the way I did throughout last night.
And I'm just not in the mood for all the nonsense flying around.
CodeStink's going to be 'active' on Saturday. Sorry, A.N.S.W.E.R., I appreciate the work you do but I have no use for CodeStink and if you want to be all "OH GOOD GOLLY WE'RE ABOUT TO GO TO WAR WITH IRAN!" look no further than CodeStink for the reason why.
CodeStink's showing up to scream no war -- about a war that they fear is going to start. But they do nothing to stop the ongoing wars. In fact, as ANTIWAR.COM pointed out, CodeStink was arguing the US couldn't leave Afghanistan. CodeStink does nothing for the Iraqi people.
They don't care. They stopped caring about Iraq when Barack Obama became president.
I don't have any use for them.
Let's start with Donald Trump.
He ordered the drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani. If that upsets Medea Benjamin then she should blame her own damn self. True or not, Qasem Soleimani's alleged actions in Iraq have been documented by the media for years. Maybe Medea missed it since she and CodeStink skipped out on Iraq all these years? He was sanctioned by the United Nations. The Obama administration named him as a known terrorist in 2011.
According the the Obama Department of Defense, Qasem Soleimani was a terrorist directly responsible for the murder of over 500 US service men & women. Why are congressional Dems outraged that he’s finally dead? See more: militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-…
He is believed to have targeted American troops in Iraq. That goes back many years. He is believed to have been behind recent attacks including last week's attack that left four US troops injured and one American contractor dead.
Donald ordered a drone strike.
So we're saying it's not the president's role to defend US troops?
Drone strikes did not originate with Donald Trump. Maybe CodeStink should have been in the streets over drone strikes before today.
Qasem Soleimani did not get a day in court. That's not justice, I agree.
B-b-b-but now we're going to war with Iran!!!!!
Are we? I don't have the crystal ball that you do, so I don't know that for a fact.
But are you arguing that Qassam was innocent?
Because if you're not arguing that, what are you arguing?
That the US does nothing when US troops are killed?
That was Barack Obama's position when it came to terrorists.
Dropping back to the June 9, 2009 snapshot:
This morning the New York Times' Alissa J. Rubin and Michael Gordon offered "U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.'s." Martin Chulov (Guardian) covered the same story, Kim Gamel (AP) reported on it, BBC offered "Kidnap hope after Shia's handover" and Deborah Haynes contributed "Hope for British hostages in Iraq after release of Shia militant" (Times of London). The basics of the story are this. 5 British citizens have been hostages since May 29, 2007. The US military had in their custody Laith al-Khazali. He is a member of Asa'ib al-Haq. He is also accused of murdering five US troops. The US military released him and allegedly did so because his organization was not going to release any of the five British hostages until he was released. This is a big story and the US military is attempting to state this is just diplomacy, has nothing to do with the British hostages and, besides, they just released him to Iraq. Sami al-askari told the New York Times, "This is a very sensitive topic because you know the position that the Iraqi government, the U.S. and British governments, and all the governments do not accept the idea of exchanging hostages for prisoners. So we put it in another format, and we told them that if they want to participate in the political process they cannot do so while they are holding hostages. And we mentioned to the American side that they cannot join the political process and release their hostages while their leaders are behind bars or imprisoned." In other words, a prisoner was traded for hostages and they attempted to not only make the trade but to lie to people about it. At the US State Dept, the tired and bored reporters were unable to even broach the subject. Poor declawed tabbies. Pentagon reporters did press the issue and got the standard line from the department's spokesperson, Bryan Whitman, that the US handed the prisoner to Iraq, the US didn't hand him over to any organization -- terrorist or otherwise. What Iraq did, Whitman wanted the press to know, was what Iraq did. A complete lie that really insults the intelligence of the American people. CNN reminds the five US soldiers killed "were: Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, of Temecula, California; 1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Nebraska; Spc. Johnathan B. Chism, 22, of Gonzales, Louisiana; Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Cortland, New York; and Pfc. Johnathon M. Millican, 20, of Trafford, Alabama." Those are the five from January 2007 that al-Khazali and his brother Qais al-Khazali are supposed to be responsible for the deaths of. Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Robert H. Reid (AP) states that Jonathan B. Chism's father Danny Chism is outraged over the release and has declared, "They freed them? The American military did? Somebody needs to answer for it."
CodeStink never objected to that.
If you're the president of the United States, you have to respond.
Donald responded.
B-b-but now we might have war!!!
We already have war.
Donald was supposed to look the other way because otherwise there would be war?
So at what point is he allowed to respond?
If you're thinking that calling out Donald for killing a US-designated terrorist that the press has been insisting -- for years -- was targeting US troops is a winning position, I guess Donald's going to get re-elected in 2020 because this isn't an issue that's going to win a lot of votes.
1. President Trump has now done what Obama was incapable of doing — killing two of the world’s most treacherous terrorists: Soleimani and Baghdadi.
2. So far, every Democrat running for President has condemned the president for taking out Soleimani after the Quds mass killer masterminded the attack on the American embassy in Iraq.
3. The Iranian regime killed American soldiers and the party of Benghazi, Carter and Obama, and the Democrat leadership trash President Trump for dealing with these terrorists. No, the president is not provoking war, the Iranian regime has committed numerous acts of war.
4. No, the president is not escalating tensions, the Iranian regime is striking out in all directions against numerous countries. Imagine this terrorist regime with nuclear missiles. Obama gave them billions.
5. And the Democrats want you to turn on our president. I predict a political backlash against the Democrats by the American people.
Mark Levin is far to the right of me but his views do represent a number of American's views.
The attacks on Trump apparently don't stop at the shoreline. Remember that one from a decade ago? It's an election year, so I'd assume at least a few would. Now a bunch of do-nothings are going to gather in DC (I don't mean A.N.S.W.E.R.) and they may get the TV attention they so desire. If so, that's not going to play well across America.
If US troops hadn't been in Iraq -- pay attention, Medea -- this wouldn't be an issue to begin with. So grab a healthy slice of the blame pie for yourself and your sisters (and brothers) in CodeStink.
This is exactly why you demand these forever wars end. They will not stay confined.
There are some online who are insisting that the Iraqi people are outraged.
Some are.
Some aren't.
That's why you see so many threats from Iraqi extremists to other Iraqis, threatening their lives for celebrating that Qasem is dead.
Sunnis are not crying over Qasem's death as a people. He terrorized Iraq and he targeted them. This was true in the so-called 'liberated' areas.
And his 'reach' was felt beyond Iraq.
In Idlib province, site of Russian and Syrian regime bombing backed by Iran, people distributed sweets to celebrate Qassem Suleimani's killing
I love all the Americans on Twitter who suddenly care about Iraq saying, "He fought ISIS!" I guess they missed the firing of an official at the end of September, someone the Iraqi people saw as a real leader in the fight against ISIS?
Equally true, he has said to be behind the attacks on the protesters.
This is a very complicated issue and yet the response has been very superficial.
And alarmist. Really, Robin Wright, running through the public square like a chicken with its head cut off?
Will the government of Iran respond in some dangerous way? It might.
But if you're worried today about spillover, you should have spent the last years demanding all US troops out of Iraq.
Some idiots are saying, "Donald Trump has put an X on the back of every US soldier in Iraq!"
That X was already there.
The Iraqi people have wanted US troops out for years now.
You did nothing, CodeStink.
Iraq in Worst Political Crisis in Years as Death Toll Mounts From Protests
That was before the drone took out Soleimani.
But CodeStink and others -- who care so very much, you understand -- weren't rallying in DC for that.
A cycle of violence has taken place. You're surprised by that? I'm surprised by your stupidity.
This goes back to that stupid Wendy Sherman (see yesterday's snapshot). All she can think of is how to use the military -- and she was in the State Dept. If you wanted to make Iraq secure, it's not that difficult. You directly fund youth projects in Iraq -- businesses and various centers that serve the needs of Iraq's youth. You help improve their lives. You give real support to the protesters.
But the State Dept doesn't do that. Not now not under Barack, not under Bully Boy Bush.
Because the goal is not a free and flourishing Iraq.
And when CodeStink and others present as leaders and take a pass on Iraq, they demonstrate that they don't really give a damn about humanity. They give a damn only about what's in the news that will get attention for them. They are useless.
How many articles in 2019 did you see calling for all US troops out of Iraq? Exactly. People had 'other things' to do. Well that's how we get to where we are now.
So-called leaders of the so-called anti-war movement couldn't be bothered with Iraq. Now they're whining about spill over.
We have called for all US troops out of Iraq. Now CodeStink did too . . . when Bully Boy Bush occupied the White House. Then they stopped any and all actions on Iraq.
That Donald Trump is a war maker doesn't shock or surprise me. That the US is so devoid of actual peace makers is shocking.
The Medea Benjamins pose as leaders -- and as peace leaders at that. But they don't do the work required. They dash around from crisis to crisis, following the news cameras in the hopes of getting attention. This moment right now should be a wake up call: You can't drop the ball. You either call for an end to these forever wars as long as they're around or you accept that they will morph and grow.
The following sites updated:
