NEWS: Sanders Statement on Air Strikes in Syria

[Donkees]

[BannonsLiver]

1. ...

[brush]

2. We could've done without this.

[leftstreet]

3. DURec

[W_HAMILTON]

4. These were defensive strikes for a previous attack -- not a declaration of war.

And Sanders himself voted for the AUMF that authorizes military strikes such as these.

If he wants it changed, bring it up for a vote.

[George II]

21. Easy to criticize, much more difficult to find out why the strike was ordered. Is he disappointed...

....that the strike was carried out without using any of the F-35s based near Burlington?

[Beastly Boy]

5. Bernie is not making sense.

How did the Syria air strike put us on the path of continuing never ending wars, and how not striking Syria would have put us on the path of ending them?

Does he really think that if it weren't for the strike, we would have gotten on the path of ending the wars? This sounds more like empty rhetoric to me. You are not doing Bernie any favors by highlighting this.

[gratuitous]

14. So where do we get on the path of ending the wars?

When our enemies stop killing us back for us killing them because they killed us back before that? Do we have no more insight or imagination to come up with the only solution to violence is more violence?

[Beastly Boy]

19. First step would be to acknowledge that absense of a single air strike will not put us on that path.

And not engage in rhetoric that suggests otherwise.

Beyond that, I must admit that it is way beyond my pay scale to make suggestions of such magnitude. I would suspect that the path to ending the wars lies in the direction of stabilizing the war zone to the point at which the warring parties have grounds for negotiating peace. Sometimes it takes an air strike to get there, sometimes it takes ending strikes to get there.

[NurseJackie]

6. Biden is the commander in chief. This is not a declaration of war. It's wrong to frame it that way.

I'm very concerned about something too: press releases should not be used as a substitute for introducing and voting on legislation.

[PatSeg]

8. Ha, ha, ha!!!

I was about to respond to your comment, but then I noticed your tagline which said it for me.

The politicians "#LookAtMe" and "#HeyRememberMe" and "#AllAboutMe" movement is very disappointing to see.

Sometimes less is more. Not everything needs to be challenged, unless you are trying to get media attention.

[NurseJackie]

15. Hi, PatSeg!

Ha! Thanks for noticing. It's been so long that I'd forgotten about that. Obviously, I had nobody in particular in mind. My thoughts and observations that caught your attention are non-specific and can easily apply to quite a few individuals.

[PatSeg]

24. Oh yes

I kind of figured that. It just happened to work rather well in this instance. I think it is a relatively common condition among politicians, especially members of congress on both sides of the aisle. Many get used to hearing the sound of their own voice and feel that every situation requires a comment. In this situation, I think a certain amount of restraint could have gone a long way and if that situation needs to be addressed, do it through the legislative process, not with a press release.

[jalan48]

7. The Defense Department (and those private Defense contractors!) can't justify our big and

Last edited Fri Feb 26, 2021, 03:32 PM - Edit history (2)

continuingly increasingly defense budgets without never ending wars.

[betsuni]

10. "Forever War" "both parties"

[highplainsdem]

13. I had the same reaction.

[uponit7771]

18. right

[ismnotwasm]

11. Wait, are we at war?

[malaise]

12. I'm with you Bernie

Very disappointed about this

[msongs]

16. so we spend a trillion on the vermont made F 35 and he is now anti war? lol nt

[Nanjeanne]

17. Seems Sens Kaine and Chris Murphy are also disappointed and demanding answers. n/t

[mvd]

22. I wouldn't have done it, but..

if Trump was still in there, I wonder if we would have bombed Iran by now. Yes this strike is concerning, but maybe there will be no more escalation.

[George II]

20. I don't and won't second guess my DEMOCRATIC President. He has a lot more information....

....about the situation in Syria than Sanders or any other Senator.

Throughout his long career in government, Joe Biden has been very measured when it comes to military action (yes, INCLUDING the Iraq War, before anyone throws that one out). He did not order that strike capriciously.

[NurseJackie]

23. You're correct. Things like this only serve to undermine Biden and make the public lose confidence...

You're correct. Things like this only serve to undermine Biden and make the public lose confidence in him. If BS had genuine concerns then it would have been better for him to handle it privately... by communicating directly with Biden. Or, if Biden isn't accepting his calls right now, then by talking privately with someone at the White House.

Every time I see these types of "press releases" I can't help but to observe that it's the equivalent of publicly airing laundry for the sake of "getting the upper hand" over Biden. I have relatives who do the same thing on Facebook whenever they're disagreeing with another family member. Rather than discussing things privately, they post it all over Facebook (and "tag" all the interested parties so that THEIR friends can see it too) and get all their grievances out in the public-eye... presumably for the same reasons that we've observed here.

All I'm saying is that this was a mistake and it's unnecessary. It only serves to divide and weaken our party... and in the end, things like that only benefit the GOP.

[George II]

30. But that's the way he operates, does nothing privately. Just like he HAD to call out Neera Tanden...

....publicly at his Budget Committee hearing, not have a private talk with her before the hearing.

[NurseJackie]

31. I don't understand the motivation. It's completely counterproductive....

... it diminishes Biden. It publicly questions his judgement and/or temperament. It has the effect of undermining public trust and confidence in Biden. WHY would anyone want to do that? It makes no sense to me. This is the Biden administration, not the Sanders administration. He needs to defer to Biden's decisions and his judgement.

[PatSeg]

25. I agree

Biden has never been impulsive when it comes to anything regarding the military. And yes, he knows far more than we do. I wouldn't blindly follow any president, but I am more inclined to trust Biden's judgment than most.

[George II]

26. But of course the criticism from some quarters gets piled on within a Brooklyn minute.

[PatSeg]

27. I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised

The more things change, the more they remain the same it seems. I'm sure Biden isn't letting it bother him though. He's been around for a long time and probably isn't terribly surprised. He has too much on his plate to worry about every criticism that comes his way.

[WarGamer]

28. Bernie is a rare "Intellectually Honest" politician...

When it was WRONG for Shrub and Trump to do it... it's still wrong when Obama or Biden does it...

I will ALWAYS be anti-expansionist... no need for Americans over there, including Europe.

The days of needing the US Armored Cav sitting in Germany to repulse a Soviet armored column is long gone.

[Happy Hoosier]

29. I'm curious as to what people think ought to be done.

Abandon people depending upon us? We did, after all put them in this position. They are launching attacks from inside Syria....

I can’t support doing nothing.