West Wing Read

The Democrats and Iran “President Trump’s order to take out Qasem Soleimani was morally, constitutionally and strategically correct. It deserves more bipartisan support than the begrudging or negative reactions it has received thus far from my fellow Democrats,” former Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) writes in The Wall Street Journal. A few of the most important points: During the Iraq War, Soleimani oversaw three camps that trained and equipped Iraqi militias. These fighters have killed more than 600 Americans since 2003.   “Some Democrats have said that killing Soleimani will lead us into war with Iran. In fact, Soleimani and the Quds Force have been at war with the U.S. for years. It is more likely that his death will diminish the chances of a wider conflict.”   “Authority to act quickly to eliminate a threat to the U.S. is inherent in the powers granted to the president by the Constitution.”   Lieberman says Democrats should leave partisan politics at “the water’s edge” and “stand together against Iran and dangerous leaders like Qasem Soleimani.” Click here to read more.

“In Washington, the decision to kill Mr. Suleimani represents the final demise of Mr. Obama’s Middle East strategy, which sought to realign American interests with those of Iran,” Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Michael Doran writes in The New York Times.

Four years ago, then-Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged that some of the $150 billion given to Iran in President Obama’s nuclear deal would end up in terrorist hands. “I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists,” he conceded in an interview, Elise Labott reported for CNN.

“Soleimani had the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hands, and was in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad planning attacks on more Americans throughout the Middle East . . . Members of Congress make statements; presidents take action. And Trump’s action will make the world safer for Americans,” security expert Christian Whiton writes in Fox News.