(Adnkronos) – “The president seems to have no plan for what comes next, and Iran seems destined to choose a new leader from the current regime.” This is a new argument against the military action against Iran initiated by Donald Trump, presented by Tim Kaine, the Democratic senator who is the main sponsor of the motion that will be discussed and voted on this week to limit Trump’s actions, invoking the War Powers Resolution. The Democrat hopes the motion will be voted on tomorrow and suspects that even Republican colleagues are concerned about the destabilization of the entire region and the surge in oil prices caused by the attack.
Among them is Rand Paul, a Republican who is also a sponsor of the motion: “I must oppose another presidential war,” he said, referring to the Constitution which grants only Congress the authority to declare war, and considering that at least two other Republicans, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who, like him, have often taken positions contrary to Trump, may support the motion.
Kaine, who last summer failed to get a similar motion approved in the Senate, securing only Paul’s support among Republicans, is convinced that this time he will be able to garner more Republican support: “one of the reasons people voted no in July is because they said ‘it’s over, it’s done’ – he explained, referring to Operation Midnight Hammer, the operation with which the US joined Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, concluding it – this will clearly be a longer-term commitment, according to what the president has said.”
The Democratic minority in the House also intends to force a floor vote on the war powers motion, a motion that is not expected to have the votes to pass, given the massive opposition from Republicans along with a group of Jewish Democratic representatives. But for Democratic leaders, it is important that all representatives officially vote on this operation, which could turn into a full-blown conflict, especially in view of the upcoming elections.
“The Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing, considering the recent killing of thousands of demonstrators – reads a recent statement from the Democratic leadership in the House – but choosing to start a war in the Middle East, without a full understanding of all the risks to our military and for escalation, is irresponsible.” The motion presented in the House by Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie states that the president must obtain congressional authorization before initiating an attack.
