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Iran: America’s Latest Moral Test
Has the United States lost its way?
When an American drone attacked and killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, it was an unambiguous act of war. We haven’t targeted and killed an enemy military leader since World War II. Whether the attack was provoked or not is controversial to some extent, although the White House is backing away from its justifications based upon a supposedly imminent terrorist attack. This change is unsurprising considering that Congressional sources briefed on the intelligence allegedly supporting this action have stated that the reports are unpersuasive.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently admitted that the attack was a response to a terrorist attack last year, allegedly supported by Iran, that killed an American contractor working in Iraq. In other words, it was vengeance.
According to reports, military officials presented the President with a series of options including decapitation. Aides were stunned when he selected that most extreme option, thinking that he would understand the potential ramifications of such action. But Trump, unsurprisingly, was driven by his emotions to that most extreme option, starting in a fit of resentment an undeclared war against this nation of 86 million with a military of over half a million personnel that is located in one of the most strategically…
