The U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani has led to an interesting development in the America political scene.
Seemingly for the first time, 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are being forced to talk about foreign policy, and they have not exactly been sure-footed — certainly not as sure-footed as President Donald Trump.
Hesitation
The 14 Democrats who campaigning for a chance to face Trump later this year can be split into two camps — those who are relative centrists and those who openly occupy the far-left regions of political policy. The response of this latter group to the killing of Soleimani was predictable — it can be summed up by the words of Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI).
“This was very clearly an act of war by this president without any kind of authorization or declaration of war from Congress, clearly violating the Constitution,” she said.
But many of the candidates — not occupying such extreme left positions — took a more cautious approach. Take, for example, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).
“We still have a lot of questions that need to be answered with this use of military force,” Booker said. “I have a lot of concerns right now, as this is unfolding, about that standard of the use of military force, and I have a lot of concerns about a president who’s already shown to have no strategy for the larger challenges we have in the Middle East, especially around Iran.”
Or, here is Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “The Administration needs to fully consult with Congress on its decision-making, response plans, and strategy for preventing a wider conflict.”
In other words, the more centrist candidates don’t know what to say about the killing of Soleimani, so, instead, they are tip-toeing around focusing on such things as Trump’s lack of notification to Congress. Who would have thought it would be so complicated to celebrate the death of an evil man?
Not Trump
As opposed to the lukewarm response of many of the Democratic candidates, Trump has openly touted the decision. “We took action last night to stop a war,” he said. “We do not take action to start a war.”
“Under my leadership,” Trump continued, “America’s policy is unambiguous to terrorists who harm or intend to harm any American. We will find you. We will eliminate you.”
The same can certainly not be said for the 2020 Democratic field.
If the Democrats’ indecisiveness regarding the death of Soleimani is any indicator of their positions on foreign policy, it is all the more reason to keep President Trump in office for four more years.
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