Contrary to the cheering from war-loving Republicans like Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, there is nothing “brave” about President Trump having ordered the death strike on Iranian Major Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Military action abroad is the least brave thing a president can do, because both Republicans and Democrats in Washington, and much of the national media, tend to like it. Recall that in April 2017, NBC’s Brian Williams wouldn’t shut up about the “beautiful” rockets we were raining on Syria.
There’s nothing more widely lauded among the establishment than the use of military force overseas. So no, it’s not “brave.”
Trump’s decision to retaliate in a major way against Iran for having coordinated an attack on our embassy in Iraq was necessary. The best argument for it is that, as a country, we had to respond. But Trump was elected in part to be a different kind of Republican president when it comes to war. We’re not supposed to go looking for it. And in the event that we have no choice but to engage another country, it should be with overwhelming force.
The killing of Soleimani might be a warning that Trump isn’t prepared to do that. But at best, it was nothing more than a tit for tat — the same kind of never-ending back and forth that we’ve been involved in with the Middle East for decades.
Trump deserves credit for his decisive action on Soleimani. It was a success. But if he’s not prepared to crush any attempt by Iran to draw us into another endless war in a region of the world that knows no way to live other than in constant killing and destruction, he can consider that part of his presidency a complete failure.
