Tom Nichols
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And that that's not working for them.
I just show that's not working for them.
Can I make a point about the thing Jasper just said, though?
I mean, I worked on Capitol Hill during the first Gulf War, which I just sort of dated myself and revealed my age, I guess.
But, you know, it's a really...
It's a tight needle to thread once troops are actually in the field to come out and say, you know, we're going to stop Donald Trump, because at this point, the attempts to invoke the War Powers Act have failed.
And the War Powers Act is a pretty poorly designed piece of legislation to begin with.
There are other options, I suppose.
The Democrats could come out and say, we're just going to cut off all funding for this war.
But in a way, the Republicans, I think, would love to invite them into that trap to say they're cutting off money while our guys are out there fighting and they're going to lack fuel and ammo and food.
It's all put up, but it's a very powerful...
message to be able to send.
And it's very tough.
And there have been, I will say, there have been some Democratic legislators, people like Tim Kaine and others, who have stepped forward to say, you know, this is not, the president can't just go off and start wars by himself.
The problem is that the way our system is structured, the president can go off and start wars by himself.
And the only thing Congress can end up doing is try to pull the rug out later, which then puts them in the position of not supporting the troops and
you know, aiding the enemy and all of that.
So I take Jasper's point, but I think people out there should understand that this, when it comes to war and peace, when American troops are actively in a theater of war, it's tough for the opposition party to come out and be, you know, kind of full-throated anti-war.
I think what they've been better off at doing has been anti-abuse of power by the president, but it's just a sticky conversation.
that there may be Democrats stepping back and saying, don't interrupt the president while he's hurting himself, because if he puts boots on the ground, the big division in this country will not be between the anti-war center left and left and everybody else.