Sanders calls on Trump to come to Congress over Syria strikes

[Hassin Bin Sober]

Sanders calls on Trump to come to Congress over Syria strikes

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/328015-sanders-calls-on-trump-to-come-to-congress-over-syria-strikes

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday said President Trump did not have the authority to launch missile strikes on the Syrian regime and called on the president to seek approval from Congress before any other actions.

“I think he has got to come to the United States Congress. I think he has got to explain to us what his long-term goals are,” Sanders told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Trump last week ordered the U.S. military to conduct missile strikes on a Syrian airfield believed to be the launching point of a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 70 civilians. The United States has placed blame for the attack on Syrian President Bashar Assad.


Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have since called on Trump to seek congressional approval before future military action.
“Our goal long-term has got to work with countries around the world. We cannot do it unilaterally,” Sanders said on Sunday.

“We’ve got to work with countries around the world for a political solution to get rid of this guy to finally bring peace and stability to this country that has been so decimated,” he said, referring to Assad.

[beam me up scottie]

1. Glad to see Bernie isn't going to let this go, his statement Friday was spot on.

Bernie Sanders on Syria Strikes: Assad Is a War Criminal and a Child-Killer

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after the United States carried out a missile strike in Syria in response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack this week:

“In a world of vicious dictators, Syria’s Bashar Assad tops the list as a dictator who has killed hundreds of thousands of his own citizens to protect his own power and wealth. His regime’s use of chemical weapons against the men, women and children of his country, in violation of all international conventions and moral standards, makes him a war criminal.

“As the most powerful nation on earth, the United States must work with the international community to bring peace and stability to Syria, where over 400,000 people have been killed and over 6 million displaced. The horror of Syria’s civil war is almost unimaginable.

“If there’s anything we should’ve learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which the lives of thousands of brave American men and women and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians have been lost and trillions of dollars spent, it’s that it’s easier to get into a war than get out of one. I’m deeply concerned that these strikes could lead to the United States once again being dragged back into the quagmire of long-term military engagement in the Middle East. If the last 15 years have shown anything, it’s that such engagements are disastrous for American security, for the American economy and for the American people.

“The Trump administration must explain to the American people exactly what this military escalation in Syria is intended to achieve, and how it fits into the broader goal of a political solution, which is the only way Syria’s devastating civil war ends. Congress has a responsibility to weigh in on these issues. As the Constitution requires, the president must come to Congress to authorize any further use of force against the Assad regime.

“Further, the U.S. must work with all parties to reinforce longstanding international norms against the use of chemical weapons, to hold Russia and Syria to the 2013 deal to destroy these weapons and to see that violators are made accountable.”

https://medium.com/@pplswar/bernie-sanders-on-syria-strikes-assad-is-a-war-criminal-and-a-child-killer-6be6c1e32cb9

He also brought up a good point about Russia's agreement to destroy chemical weapons in Syria. We should be asking more questions instead of advocating air strikes. Obama was right to ignore the chicken hawks, too bad he's not our president right now.

I'm grateful so many of our leaders are willing to speak out against Trump's unilateral use of force. Let's not forget how easy it was to convince congress and the senate to invade Iraq and how few of our politicians were willing to openly oppose Bush. Bernie was right then and he's right now.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. The Democratic Party is really getting a great return for appointing him to The Senate Leadership

I give six salutes to Bernard Sanders, Chairman of Senate Democratic Outreach. A tireless champion for The Democratic Party.


I usually only give 5 salutes. But he has earned the extra credit.

[beam me up scottie]

3. They know millions are still inspired by Bernie - especially millennials

Bernie is also embarking on a barnstorming unity tour with Tom Perez to reach out to voters in red states - a brilliant strategy since we're going to need votes from all demographics if we want to win in 2018 and 2020. We need more town halls, more rallies, more events of every kind where we can speak directly to the people.

Six salutes - to Bernie Sanders for never giving up!