President Trump Says Senator Mike Lee “Played right into Democrats Hands”: The Defeated Kaine Resolution to Limit President Trump’s Freedom to Wage War without Congressional support.
Senator Mike Lee supported the failed effort to limit President Trump’s war making capacity, the “Kaine Resolution” and simply can’t make up his mind on what he stands for. The resolution quietly failed to get, as expected, the 2/3s votes in the Senate earlier this past week (https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-05-07/senate-falls-short-of-overriding-trumps-veto-of-iran-war-powers-resolution).
I wrote on February 1, 2020 about the need for Congress to be strong and not empower an erratic president that’s prone to knee-jerk, misguided, decision making. In my piece entitled: “Senator Lee, Please “LEAD” the Job We Hired You to Do - A Case for Strong Congressional Leadership – Unabridged”, I advocated for a Congress filled with representatives that would do their jobs as a check and balance to the presidency, not a forum to be used as an enabler of the presidency.
I stated in that February 1, 2020 piece: Senator Lee should “Reaffirm that the Constitution’s empowerment of Congress having sole war making decision authority without the need to pass a Kaine Resolution that attempts to needlessly underscore, or restate, what’s already sufficiently clear in the U.S. Constitution. Senator Lee is faced with supporting a party that is solidifying inappropriate extra-constitutional authority, to marginalize Congress, and empower the President with the sole power to decide whether, and to what extent, the United States may go to war. Kind of a problem here - don’t ya’think? Mr. Lee, don’t waste our time and dollars to amplify what does not need to be amplified or restated for clarity in an attempt to show you are doing something substantive to constituents by engaging in a weak attempt to create the illusion of credibility.” On the one hand, Senator Lee is the Co-Chair to re-elect President Trump, and on the other hand, he is endorsing a “Resolution” to limit the president’s power against his party’s wishes. Am I the only one that sees a disconnect – the internal turmoil Senator Lee is struggling to resolve?
Senator Lee’s heart was in the right place, for the right reasons. But, as a legal clerk, he sought to support a Congressional resolution that was destined to fail. The Constitution is clear on who has war making authority (“Congress”). It would be expected that a legal clerk would approach the problem of irrational presidential behavior with “another” redundant and unnecessary piece of legislative documentation (“Kaine Resolution”) that merely restates what the Constitution already says – that Congress controls America’s war making authority – not the President. A fruitless waste of time Senator Lee.
Folks, we expect Congress to do its job with strength and authority, not be a grouping of party-controlled lapdogs for enabling a president to manipulate and do whatever he wishes. The fuse that lit the failed “Kaine Resolution” was president Trump’s order to assassinate the Iranian senior leader General Soleimani for what President Trump alleges was an Iranian imminent intent to attack a number of American Embassies.
So, here’s the dilemma. If there is a clear enemy effort to imminently attack American interests, such as our service personnel, embassies, ships, bases, homeland, etc., yes, of course the American President should be empowered to take immediate action to “defend” eliminate and minimize the threat. We can all agree on that. And yes, it is a fine line relative to war making authority reserved for Congress – I get it. The issue rests on the delicate credibility and confidence in a president as a leader with his congressional counter-parts to make responsible choices – we don’t currently have that. And, Senator Mike Lee knows that, which is why he supported the Kaine Resolution.
So the problem is, we have a President that behaves emotionally and irresponsibly and has lost the confidence of many many senior leaders (Mattis, Kelly, McMaster, Bolton, etc., etc., etc.) – and as demonstrated by his mishandling of the disastrous response to the Pandemic – all testament to his need to be “checked and balanced” by a strong Congress that is supposed to do that job (Ingest bleach, sanitizer, draino, whatever, to cure COVID anyone?!?). Or better yet, his claim that he has ultimate authority over all the States – scary, right?) (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/politics/trump-authority.html).
Senator Mike Lee initially did not support President Trump at all for president - at first. Then, he took the “Scenic Route” to become the President’s re-election co-chair in Utah (https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/11/15/sen-mike-lee-says-hes-co/). Senator Mike Lee’s fickleness has undermined his capacity to act as a Senator with authority and respect among his peers. He must now go. So now, even though President Trump has cast aside yet again another minion he has no respect for (“Senator Mike Lee”), we are henceforth left again with a majority party (GOP) in Congress (Senate), that will say and do “ANYTHING” to hold on to power for the sake of their reelection fortunes at your – yes your – expense at any cost. And, Senator Mike Lee can’t make up his mind. He still seeks to reelect a President who sees him as a patsy for the democratic party, yet lobbies to undercut his power. Is Mike Lee President Trump’s new Congressman Paul Ryan, or should I say lapdog? (Unceremoniously pushed aside by President Trump). How far will Senator Mike Lee go to get reelected? Any length it seems.
Folks, put America’s interests first. Vote “Utah Bull Moose Party” in 2022. Vote for an experienced leader, a candidate that will “do-the-right-thing” for America and who does not care about party affiliation or reelection.
COL Michael “Mike” Seguin
(U.S. Army – Retd)