What a surprise when this started!

Yet, I can’t help but think that prevention of Iran’s development of nuclear weapons should have been done years ago.

I think that Trump’s predecessors should have dealt with this and that the deep underground development facility should have been prevented. Obama made an effort to derail Iran’s efforts by hacking into their computers and deleting their work. But all this did was provide a temporary setback for Iran.

So why did Trump engage the United States again, now, after we had been assured that we had obliterated their development capability a year ago? We have been given several reasons.

We were given a different reason each day following the initiative. As I recall:

One reason was that we wanted to destroy Iran’s nuclear development ability.

Another day we were told that the U.S. was really dragged into the war by Israel. That Netanyahu told Trump that he would carry this out alone even if Trump didn’t support Israel. Trump said that he was concerned for the safety of American military bases coming under attack, since we are an Israeli ally. So, it was better that we support Israel and go on the offensive.

Another day we were told that our objective was Iranian regime change.

So what was the reason initially spurring our engagement? Only Trump knows.

While I support ending Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons, I have to object to how our involvement came about.

The President does not have the authority to solely enter the United States into war. Legally, Congress must approve it. Congress should have been informed as to why Trump wanted to initiate war against Iran and what our objectives would be. But Trump did this on his own, without Congressional approval.

George W. Bush got Congress’ approval to force Saddam Hussein out of office in Iraq.

George H.W. Bush got Congress’ approval to drive Iraq out of Kuwait, after Iraq had invaded Kuwait to annex the country.

Truman had Congress’ support to defend South Korea against the North Korean invasion.

Roosevelt had Congress’ approval to declare war against Japan after we had been invaded, and again to declare war against Germany in response to Hitler’s declaration of war against the U.S.

(Vietnam was a little weird. Eisenhower provided only military advisers in 1956. But our involvement just continued to grow step by step, with Congressional approval of funding.)

Am I in favor of the war in Iran? Obviously, I have very mixed feelings and concerns.