Be Scared Folks, Be Very Scared – Senator Mike Lee, it’s also time for you to take action, and step aside.

“As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!),” Trump tweeted. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-refers-to-his-own-great-and-unmatched-wisdom-in-tweet-targeting-turkey/ar-AAIqUOY)

Allow me to state upfront that this article is not an emotionally charged piece or incoherent rant, but one in which an intelligent informed opinion is simply being expressed. The President’s tweet is neither “presidential” or an illustration of sound leadership.

Folks, this must end.  Mitch McConnell, you need to lead our way through this and do the right thing.  OMG, what a nightmare for our country this has become.  This is not leadership.  This is a display of dangerous incompetence.  I can only ask that our allies hang in there with the solace that this will soon be over.  As a former military commander, and reminding us all that the President is the Commander and Chief - our most senior commander - the leadership the President has demonstrated has fallen well short of competent, responsible, and acceptable.  I know it is a hard job, and the stamina required to lead can be exhausting, but he has lost confidence in his leadership by mainstream Americans who want and deserve better.  His behavior, actions, and lack of demonstrated good judgement would result in any military commander’s removal from his command - plain and simple.  We deserve much MUCH better.  But, I underscore, removal if not at the hands of the current impeachment process, then at the ballot box in approximately one year.  In the meantime, his party, and the majority leadership in the Senate, must step up and do their job to make certain they contain the damage being done.  A job thus far they have not embraced.   

Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) comment yesterday: “Thank you, President Trump, for withdrawing military personnel from Syria.  Undeclared wars are as unconstitutional as they are inadvisable.  Those who disagree with this decision should ask congress to declare war or otherwise authorize the use of military force.” (https://twitter.com/senmikelee?lang=en).  I’m sorry Mike, you are out of touch and don’t get it.

Senator Mike Lee is a prime example. He is a spectator in the arena.  Again Mike, I’m sure you are a nice man, but you are not a leader, and your comment demonstrates you lack the necessary engagement we expect in a leader:

First, deployment of troops by the president does not require an immediate declaration of war.  So, Mr. Lee, you are wrong to oversimplify the Syrian circumstances in your tweet.

Second, provisions exist in our modern nuclear age for commencement of war without a Congressional declaration.  So again, Mr. Lee, you are wrong.  This is why the “football” is never far from the president’s reach.  Unfortunately, our founding fathers never conceived of nuclear technologies and modern WMDs.

Third, you have not articulated more than a clerical bureaucratic perspective on Syrian military engagement – i.e. “Congress has not declared war.”  Okay, got it - but we want more from you.  We want leadership.  Your position is good enough for a government employed legal bureaucrat, but not good enough for those empowered to lead.  Leaders form a coherent position on complicated matters and articulate it – you have failed to do this relative to military engagement with Syria other than no declaration of war by Congress has occurred.  You would be the guy, Sir, who would stand in a burning room full of people and let everyone die because the sign on the exit says, “fresh paint, do not enter.”

Fourth, if you feel the military engagement in Syria has been a violation of Congressional Power alone to Declare War, then why haven’t you lobbied for the impeachment of the president for his unlawful engagement in Syria over the last three years he’s been in office?!

Mr. Lee, we need leaders… not lap dogs. You are a good minion and administrator, and you likely can quote chapter and verse of multitudes of laws - that’s great. But we need more than regurgitation of what the law says.We need leadership. It’s time for you to get out of the way and follow.

Solution: For balanced leadership that “Does-The-Right-Thing” vote incumbent Mike Lee out of office, support COL Mike Seguin, Utah Bull Moose Party, at the ballot box in 2022.