Donald Trump, the man who claims that he wants to end all endless wars, has carried out the assassination of the leader of the infamous Iranian Quds force, Qasem Soleimani.
Trump has justified killing Soleimani by claiming various and horrible things about him and the threat that he posed.
But is he lying? Was there really a good reason to kill Soleimani, and to kill him at this time? In short, the question is: did Trump act for reasons of true national security? Or did he do it for political reasons.
-The timing of the killing is deeply suspicious and does not make sense except for political reasons.
The immediate claim of justification for the killing of Soleimani was to prevent an “imminent” attack.
What “imminent” attack? What was about to be attacked? When? Where? Why? Things are attacked in Iraq and other places in the Middle East all the time. How much time did we have to prepare? What would have happened if we had waited? Would we have missed our chance to get Soleimani, or put civilian lives in danger? Did killing Soleimani really do anything to make a difference to our embassies, soldiers or allies? And why?
As is usual with the Trump administration there is no real information. Of course there are claims of that one of our embassy (embassies?) was about to be attacked. But there is no reason why we should not get a brief explanation as to what the attack was supposed to be and why we had to hurry so much. And there is no damn reason why Trump could not have told the congress and our allies.
A more believable explanation is that the attack was meant to be a distraction from Trump’s growing impeachment troubles.
The House of Representatives has already moved to impeach Trump, something that he feels is disgusting and terrible. And even though the articles of impeachment have not moved to the Senate (thanks to Moscow Mitch McConnell) their arrival is “imminent”.
Another thing that may be imminent is the testimony of John Bolton, Trump’s former National Security Advisor, a man who is believed to know exactly was happening in Trump’s effort to pressure the Ukrainian government to find dirt on Joe Biden.
The announcement of Bolton, which happened on January 6th, has to be worrying for Trump, considering Bolton’s position and his direct access to information. And It is a near complete reversal of his previous decision, which was to testify only if a federal judge ordered him to defy direct White House orders. (1)
And there is more to make Trump sweat. Andrew Napolitano, a former judge and very frequent guest commentator on Fox (Fake and Phony) News, told interviewers just the next day that, “It would be nearly impossible for Republicans to stop Bolton from testifying in the Senate Impeachment trial. Why? “I think that it will be a political blowback. It’s as if they are afraid to hear what he is going to say.” Napolitano then when on to speculate the Bolton’s testimony, whatever it might be, would force Trump to testify (under oath) to deny it. (2)
Trump watches Fox (Fake and Phony) News all the time, and certainly knows who Judge Napolitano is. And I believe that what he feared was imminent was the start of the impeachment trial and possible witnesses like John Bolton - and most of all, having to testify under oath.
-Trump tries but can not make a sensible case for killing Soleimani.
Mistaking hyperbolic rhetoric and junior high school level exaggeration Trump tries just so hard to justify assassinating Soleimani. He claims that he is a monster, and the world’s number one terrorist (number one with a bullet -get it?). He claims that he was an even greater terrorist than Osama Bin Laden, or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But this just shows that he doesn’t understand national security problems or the fight against terrorism. And it undermines his basic claim that he did this for anyone but himself.
Soleimani was a soldier, a general and the man who led the Iranian Quds force. The actions of the Quds force was brutal, and killed a lot of people. But unlike Bin Laden or al-Baghdadi, Soleimani was under the jurisdiction and control of the Iranian government. And Iranian government is controlled by Ali Khamenei, who is the Supreme Leader, and the head servant of the Astan Quds, and the commander-in-chief of all armed forces. Khamenei decides who runs the Quds force and what they do. If you take out the head of the Quds force Khamenei can appoint another one - or maybe even two, if he is in a bad mood.
I am sure that this was explained to Trump, at least in short memo with simple words. So taking out Soleimani doesn’t solve anything - he can, and will be replaced. And maybe with someone much worse. And in the meantime, the Iran, famous for holding a grudge and with too many suicide bombers to even count, is angry as hell and not going to take it anymore.
-With Trump there is no law, morality or ethics - it’s all about politics.
Trump is a political being. His presidency is not about doing what is right for the majority of Americans, or helping the poor, or righting wrongs. It is just about having power and using it. And now Trump’s power depends upon staying in office - that is, avoiding any embarrassing revelations or setbacks in impeachment. And for Trump, that means doing whatever is politically popular (for his base) and keeping supporters happy.
Yes, Trump killed Soleimani because of his impeachment. And even though the fix is in among the Senate Republicans there is always a chance they might turn on him. And even more worrying, because it is much more likely, there is the chance that someone will testify against him or some kind of written evidence will make its way into the light of day.
Here is how George Conway, a long time conservative Republican (and the man who helped bring about the impeachment of Bill Clinton), reasons it out concerning Trump’s motivation for killing Soleimani, “He (Trump) let all sorts of transgression go previously, and he is perfectly happy to kowtow to evil foreign leaders (KJU and Putin) but suddenly he chooses the option the military thought too extreme to actually select, and then threatens to commit war crimes (attacking historical sites).” (3)
Conway’s conclusion is stark and obvious, “It is extremely difficult to escape the conclusion that (Trump) started a war because he was impeached.” (3)
There is now evidence that the order the killing of Soleimani was in response to pressure brought by Senate Republicans. In case you don’t subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, here is what they reported, “Mr. Trump, after the strike, told associates he was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP Senators he views as important supporters in his coming impeachment trial in the Senate, associates said.” (4)
Here’s more from the WSJ explaining the pressure Republicans put on Trump, “The Journal does not name any of the Senators in question, but it does follow a similar report from the New York Times on Tuesday that said the president has been ‘pressured to take a harder line on Iran by some Republican Senators whose support he needs more than ever in the impeachment battle.’”(4)
Here is what the Journal concludes about the specific reason they pressured Trump and why Trump was willing to kill the general, “While it seems unlikely that any Republican Senators would flip to being in favor of impeachment, it is possible they would support Democrats’ arguments around the process, including whether to allow witnesses like former National Security Advisor John Bolton to testify.” (4)
Take extraordinary risks, break international law, endanger troops on the ground in Iraq and lie about it all just to make sure the impeachment trial is just as much of a white wash as it can be.
So did Trump order the killing of Suleimani for national security reasons? Or just partisan political ones? Here’s the easy answer: Trump is scared and sick to his stomach about impeachment. Of course it was political!
References
1) Time, “Bolton’s Offer to Give Impeachment Testimony Catches Congress, White House by Surprise” Vern Bergengruen, 1/6/2020
2) Andrew Napolitano, Fox News Videos Broadcast, 1/7/2020
3) HillReporter.com, “After Attack Conway Says Trump Started a War Because of Impeachment”, Todd Niekirk, 1/8/2020
4) Rolling Stone, “Did Trump Kill Soleimani to Shore Up GOP Senators’ Support on Impeachment”, Peter Ward, 1/10/2020
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