The vote to limit President Donald Trump's ability to wage war on Iran, taken yesterday in the House of Representatives.
Jan. 10, 2020 by David Silverberg
Today Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.) explained his vote yesterday in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 83, limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to wage war on Iran.
Rooney’s statement in response to a query from The Paradise Progressive follows in full:
“There are several issues in this vote and resolution. First, the Congress must exercise its authority under Article 1 of the Constitution to declare war or approve military engagement. Unfortunately, ever since the Vietnam War there has been a steady and consistent evisceration of Congress' role in consultation, review or approval of military engagement.
“Second, we need a long-term strategy for Iran which exploits the asymmetry between what the people want and what the government will provide. Our Farsi radio broadcasts into Iran show clearly a connection with the people which runs counter to the repressive Iranian regime. Like the containment strategy which brought down the Soviet Union, we can play long ball in Iran.
“Third, the internecine conflicts in Iraq among Shia subsects is a positive development for the United States which we should let percolate instead of giving the people a new enemy to focus on.
“None of this deals specifically with the killing of General Soleimani, which in fact has worked out well—one less bad guy and a deliberate deflection of conflict by Iran, ending the stage-by-stage escalation between the United States and Iran which has ensued since May.”