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WASHINGTON—In a development so shocking it briefly caused Capitol Hill to malfunction like a government website on tax day, the House of Representatives actually accomplished something useful Tuesday. Democrats and Republicans united in rare harmony to take the anti-Semitic Rep. Rashida Tlaib's latest anti-Israel performance art piece, escort it gently but firmly to the nearest legislative Port-o-Potty, and set it on fire.
Tlaib's war powers resolution, aimed at handcuffing U.S. military involvement in Lebanon, went down in a solid bipartisan 235-189 vote. Twenty-two Democrats bravely jumped ship from the Michigan congresswoman, joining nearly every Republican in opposition.
In Washington terms, that's the equivalent of the entire room agreeing the fire alarm isn't just another progressive policy proposal.
The measure would have banned U.S. forces from any "hostilities" in Lebanon, a pressing issue if America were, you know, actually fighting there. But facts remain stubbornly uncooperative with Tlaib's worldview, i.e., that the Jewish state needs to be eliminated.
One lonely Republican dissenter was the execrable Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, whose foreign policy instincts continue to spin wildly like a compass next to an industrial magnet. Time to vote him out.
Michigan's premier anti-Israel activist cosplaying as a member of Congress tried to limit military authority in a nation where America isn't conducting combat operations. It's roughly as urgent as demanding emergency legislation to stop astronauts from invading Saskatchewan.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and most Democrats voted to tie President Donald Trump's hands on using force in Lebanon without congressional permission. Of course, Jeffries had opposed an earlier version of Tlaib's scheme, proving once again that consistency in the Democratic Party is treated like an optional accessory, right next to "supporting the troops."
The whole thing was a concurrent resolution, carrying all the legal weight of a strongly worded Facebook post. Even if it passed, it would never have reached President Trump's desk for a signature, veto, or well-deserved eye-roll.
Tlaib, Congress's only Palestinian American member and Israel's most dedicated congressional tormentor, has spent years accusing the Jewish state of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza and Lebanon. Republicans correctly note that her laser focus on condemning Israel while giving Hezbollah a rhetorical free pass amounts to providing comfort to an Iranian-backed terrorist outfit.
Strangely missing from Tlaib's resolution was any condemnation of Hezbollah, the terror group that has spent years rocketing Israeli civilians and turning southern Lebanon into its personal launchpad. Apparently the actual people firing rockets at school buses deserve less congressional attention than the country daring to defend itself.
Earlier this month, Tlaib pushed an even broader version that critics said could have forced U.S. personnel guarding the American Embassy to abandon their posts and crippled aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces fighting actual terrorists. Even by Washington standards, siding against the non-terrorist side is a special kind of genius.
After that flop, she rolled out a revised version with polite exemptions for diplomatic security and training Lebanese troops. Nothing says "principled stand" like frantically editing your legislation after everyone reads the first draft and recoils in horror.
Republicans rightly wondered why Congress was wasting time stopping a war America isn't fighting.
"There are not U.S. combat forces conducting operations or engaged in hostilities in Lebanon," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, (R-FL), said during debate. "They are training the Lebanese Armed Forces."
"Why are they training?" Mast continued. "Because there's probably at least 40,000, probably more, Hezbollah terrorists spread across the South of Lebanon that are actively engaged in targeting Israel and have been doing so for many years."
Mast went further, correctly labeling supporters of the resolution as "proxies for Hezbollah," a remark unlikely to earn him a Christmas card from the Squad.
Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), defended the pointless exercise by claiming it would prevent America from entering "another forever war that is not in our national interest."
A noble thought, if only the United States were actually in a war in Lebanon. Instead, Congress spent the afternoon solemnly debating how to stop a ghost from invading a house it never entered, while Hezbollah kept doing what it does best: trying to annihilate Israel and counting on enough useful idiots in Washington to stay distracted by imaginary American aggression.
The measure would have banned U.S. forces from any "hostilities" in Lebanon, a pressing issue if America were, you know, actually fighting there. But facts remain stubbornly uncooperative with Tlaib's worldview, i.e., that the Jewish state needs to be eliminated.
One lonely Republican dissenter was the execrable Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, whose foreign policy instincts continue to spin wildly like a compass next to an industrial magnet. Time to vote him out.
Michigan's premier anti-Israel activist cosplaying as a member of Congress tried to limit military authority in a nation where America isn't conducting combat operations. It's roughly as urgent as demanding emergency legislation to stop astronauts from invading Saskatchewan.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and most Democrats voted to tie President Donald Trump's hands on using force in Lebanon without congressional permission. Of course, Jeffries had opposed an earlier version of Tlaib's scheme, proving once again that consistency in the Democratic Party is treated like an optional accessory, right next to "supporting the troops."
The whole thing was a concurrent resolution, carrying all the legal weight of a strongly worded Facebook post. Even if it passed, it would never have reached President Trump's desk for a signature, veto, or well-deserved eye-roll.
Tlaib, Congress's only Palestinian American member and Israel's most dedicated congressional tormentor, has spent years accusing the Jewish state of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza and Lebanon. Republicans correctly note that her laser focus on condemning Israel while giving Hezbollah a rhetorical free pass amounts to providing comfort to an Iranian-backed terrorist outfit.
Strangely missing from Tlaib's resolution was any condemnation of Hezbollah, the terror group that has spent years rocketing Israeli civilians and turning southern Lebanon into its personal launchpad. Apparently the actual people firing rockets at school buses deserve less congressional attention than the country daring to defend itself.
Earlier this month, Tlaib pushed an even broader version that critics said could have forced U.S. personnel guarding the American Embassy to abandon their posts and crippled aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces fighting actual terrorists. Even by Washington standards, siding against the non-terrorist side is a special kind of genius.
After that flop, she rolled out a revised version with polite exemptions for diplomatic security and training Lebanese troops. Nothing says "principled stand" like frantically editing your legislation after everyone reads the first draft and recoils in horror.
Republicans rightly wondered why Congress was wasting time stopping a war America isn't fighting.
"There are not U.S. combat forces conducting operations or engaged in hostilities in Lebanon," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, (R-FL), said during debate. "They are training the Lebanese Armed Forces."
"Why are they training?" Mast continued. "Because there's probably at least 40,000, probably more, Hezbollah terrorists spread across the South of Lebanon that are actively engaged in targeting Israel and have been doing so for many years."
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| Brian Mast |
Mast went further, correctly labeling supporters of the resolution as "proxies for Hezbollah," a remark unlikely to earn him a Christmas card from the Squad.
Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), defended the pointless exercise by claiming it would prevent America from entering "another forever war that is not in our national interest."
A noble thought, if only the United States were actually in a war in Lebanon. Instead, Congress spent the afternoon solemnly debating how to stop a ghost from invading a house it never entered, while Hezbollah kept doing what it does best: trying to annihilate Israel and counting on enough useful idiots in Washington to stay distracted by imaginary American aggression.
At least this time, sanity prevailed. Barely.
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Thank you for following Brain Flushings. Please take time to simply check out the sponsors on this page--it's one way to support my work and you don't need to purchase anything to do so. Of course, you can Buy Me A Coffee if you want to support me directly. And finally, don't be afraid to subscribe if you enjoy the blog--it's free, and worth the cost.
