The war powers resolution and the President

This is a classic dilemma.

Democrats in the House, with the help of four renegade Republicans, passed a war powers resolution that would limit the ability of President Donald J. Trump to continue to wage war against Iran.

A war that Secretary of State Marco Rubio says is over, when in reality it is not. What we have is a “cease fire” with more holes in it than grandma’s colander.

But the resolution is toothless, unless the Senate also passes a resolution, and since the Senate is controlled by the GOP, that is highly unlikely. It has rejected such resolutions in the past.

And even if —  wonder of wonders — the Senate did pass it, Trump would simply veto it. It would take two-thirds of the Senate to override the veto, and that’s all but impossible.

But, just as an exercise, let’s pretend the war powers act takes effect at the moment the U.S. is negotiating a true end to the war.

This happens as an unpopular war has become even less popular, with 60% of Americans opposed, according to a new Fox News poll, which has other bad news for the President.

I see the polls, you see the polls. Yes, MAGA will deny the numbers and the Left will exaggerate them, but do you know who else  sees the polls?

The terrorists passing themselves off as the government of Iran. 

You know, the “death to America” crowd.

They are watching and they are waiting and they are remembering. If you check their social media, while they govern from the 14th Century, their X and Instagram accounts are very 21st Century. These are sophisticated people, capable of, you know, building a nuclear bomb.

And here’s what they are remembering — Vietnam.

The January 1968 Tet offensive was an absolute military defeat for the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong, which suffered tens of thousands of casualties and failed to hold any captured territory.

But the headlines played it as shock and awe, which it was. It became a strategic and psychological victory for the Communists. 

One month later, “the most trusted man in America,” World War II veteran and CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, departed from his usual objectivity to declare that the war was unwinnable. These events lit the fuse for more and greater anti-war demonstrations back in the States. Morale was broken. From then on, it was just a matter of time.

Today, the Iranians see the public unrest, and they rub their hands together.

As others have observed, all they have to do to win, is not lose.

And by sitting tight and blockading the Strait of Hormuz, they are not losing. (A whole other subject is why the rest of the world is letting Iran get away with this nautical hostage-taking. Fear of Iran retaliation? Where is the U.N.? I don’t know.)

And if the Congress would decide that Trump can no longer wage war, Iran would have no reason to negotiate, not when the stick has been removed, leaving Trump with only the carrot.

So here is the dilemma:

If we remove military action from the table, we have no bargaining leverage. Would that shorten the conflict?

If we use military force, unless we go for total annihilation, it might not work. Why? Because it has not worked so far. 

I was among the many who felt Trump did not lay out the proper argument for starting the war, nor did he round up a posse of Western nations to partner with us. He acted impulsively, as he often does.

I was among the lesser number who felt that even if starting the war was a bad idea, losing it would be far worse.

So I conclude, reluctantly, Congress should not take the stick out of Trump’s hands. He  needs it to reach an honorable conclusion to this mess.