Opposing Epic Fury Now a Litmus Test – HotAir
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Democrats and most of Pravda are agitating against Operation Epic Fury, driven by their allegiance to the feckless transnationalist ideal, their hatred of Donald Trump, and, of course, cynical political calculation. 

Those arguments about this being an illegal war? Total falsehood. Anybody who has read the War Powers Act knows that the President has followed its strictures (inform Congress within 2 days, and ask for Congressional approval within 60 days. He is also following precedents.

The attack will result in calls for compliance with the War Powers Resolution, passed by Congress in 1973.

The resolution requires “in the absence of a declaration of war” that a president report to Congress within 48 hours after introducing United States military forces into hostilities. The WPR mandates that operations must end within 60 days absent congressional approval.

Notably, there was a recent secret briefing of the “Gang of Eight” that may have included a foreshadowing of this operation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Saturday that he has given notice to those senators.

Under the WPR:

“The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations.”

The WPR limits such authority to “hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances,” and can be exercised “only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”

President Trump has cited the documented attacks of Iran and its proxies on U.S. forces and its allies. It is also a state sponsor of terrorism and has continued to seek nuclear weapons in defiance of the demands of the international community. Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran had again barred it from these sites.

There has historically been deference to presidents exercising such judgments under this vague standard. That was certainly the case with the attacks in countries such as Libya under Democratic presidents.

Democrats have been enthusiastic about Democrat wars, to the point of denying that the president needs to come to Congress for approval. 

So let’s dispose of those absurd arguments from Democrats about objecting to Operation Epic Fury because it is illegal. Their case is so weak and inconsistent with their prior positions that it amounts to a dried-up, disintegrating fig leaf. 

Leave aside the allegiance to transnationalist ideology, which itself is becoming less and less a factor as a bandwagon effect is drawing in European countries and the entire Middle East into the war with Iran, and you have little left to explain the Democrats’ criticisms beyond cynical politics. 

“The Commander-in-Chief, the leader of the free world, President Donald J. Trump, I REALLY commend what is happening here! Taking out Khamenei, taking out the nuclear capability and ballistic missile program in Iran.” 🔥 “This is crucial. I spoke with ALL the key European leaders…there’s WIDESPREAD support for the president’s doing.”

Tim Kaine’s resolution to halt the bombing of Iran has been introduced, and a large number of Democrats are supporting him, betting that they will score some political points both because the war is not especially popular and because it will fire up their anti-Trump base. 

Democrats have already deployed their anti-ICE/anti-Trump protesters to back the Iranian regime, complete with pre-printed signs and pre-written slogans, but the visuals are not working out for them that well. It’s hard to compete with demonstrations of Iranians and Jews chanting USA! and doing the Trump dance in celebration of Operation Epic Fury.

Demonstrators in the US, Great Britain, Canada, and even Iran are thanking America for taking out Khameini, and there is nothing like watching Arabs and Jews joining together to praise the US and Trump. 

Of course, people in Canada, the UK, or Iran don’t vote in American elections, or at least they don’t vote for Republicans in US elections (get the joke?), so the real question is what Americans will think about all this in November. 

The answer is simple, if not yet known: Americans love a winner, and if Trump comes out of this looking like a winner, the Democrats will come out looking like complete losers. 

Again. 

The Democrats are aligning with the radical Muslim population in the United States, who are busy explaining why they love Khameini, hate America, and want Trump dead. The Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a pro-Hamas group that includes vast numbers of Columbia faculty and students, posted “Death to America” after Khameini was killed, prompting panic at Columbia, but not among its professors who support the group. 

If the Democrats are right and this becomes a “forever war,” then their alliance with the Islamists will be swept under the rug. 

But if Trump comes out looking like a winner, gaining plaudits from the world, NATO countries backing him up, and the Arab world thanking him for taking out one of the worst men in the world, the Democrats will have proven to have miscalculated badly. 

Americans love a winner. And they hate people rooting against America.

The Democrats didn’t stand for the Gold Medal-winning hockey team at the SOTU, and if they are seen as booing American soldiers as they liberate a grateful world, it will hurt them badly. 

The November election will not be about Iran, unless something goes very badly, but Democrats keep making miscalculations that chip away at the sense that they love the country and care about Americans. 

Affordability will still dominate voting patterns, but losing a point or two from each misstep keeps adding up. I suspect that opposing Trump here will be a big mistake. 

UPDATE: Axios reports that opposing Operation Epic Fury is now a litmus test in the Democratic primaries:

And Democrats are spreading the elementary school hoax:

Editor’s note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you want to join the conversation in the comments — and support independent platforms — why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!

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