Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 23, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
I remember reading a book years ago about the power of visualization. Readers were told to hold a detailed picture of the desired situation in their minds with the knowledge that it would soon manifest. In fact, if I recall correctly, the author recommended “acting as if” the outcome had already been achieved. I’m not debunking this as a strategy, because to a certain extent, it works. I’m merely saying that, until the anticipated objective actually materializes, it’s wise to keep a handle on reality.
It looks like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have read the same book, because she appears to assume she is the President. (Either that, or she’s never forgotten the advice she once received from the late Louisiana congresswoman, Lindy Boggs, who told her, “Darlin’, know thy power and use it.”)
She has assumed the leadership position and as a result, believes she can call all the shots. It’s obvious in every move she’s made from her refusal to appropriate “one dime” for construction of the border wall to her failure to accept the results of a fair election.
Last night, Pelosi sent a letter to members of her caucus notifying them she will be introducing a resolution “to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran.” She told her colleagues that the Trump Administration’s airstrike against Quds Forces chief Qassem Soleimani was “provocative and disproportionate” and had “endangered our service members, diplomats and others.”
Further, Pelosi wrote, the resolution would “mandate that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.” The full letter is reprinted below.
Dear Democratic Colleague,
Last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high-level Iranian military officials. This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran.
As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe. For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution.
This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran. This resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine in the Senate. It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.
The House Resolution will be led by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Congresswoman Slotkin is a former CIA and Department of Defense analyst specializing in Shia militias. She served multiple tours in the region under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.
I greatly appreciate the solemnity with which all of our Members are working to honor our responsibility to protect American lives and values.
Thank you for your patriotic leadership during this difficult time.
Why is Nancy Pelosi providing aid and comfort to our enemies? Why would she (and the majority of those on the left) criticize our President so vocally during a national crisis and take the side of a terrorist who is responsible for the deaths of over 600 Americans?
We can be sure that if Trump had not acted and if whatever Soleimani had planned had gone forward and Americans had been killed, she would have been the first to accuse him of weakness. ‘You had the chance to take him out and you chose not to. Now Americans have died.’ Or she would have criticized him for escalating the situation by calling in helicopters and marines after members of Kaitab Hezbollah stormed the U.S. Embassy last week.
President Trump did not overstep his power. Even Jeh Johnson, Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security, said that President Trump “under his constitutional authority as commander in chief, had ample domestic legal authority to take him out without an additional congressional authorization.” Here’s what Johnson told host Chuck Todd this weekend:
If you believe everything that our government is saying about General Soleimani, he was a lawful military objective, and the president, under his constitutional authority as commander in chief, had ample domestic legal authority to take him out without an additional congressional authorization. Whether he was a terrorist or a general in a military force that was engaged in armed attacks against our people, he was a lawful military objective.
This morning, Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson debunked Democrats' claim that Congress needed to approve Soleimani strike
Johnson: Soleimani was a "lawful military objective" & the President had "ample domestic legal authority to take him out" pic.twitter.com/1LUqYAwm9j
— Zach Parkinson (@AZachParkinson) January 5, 2020
Somebody really needs to tell Nancy Pelosi that she is not the president. Trump is the President and she must accept that. She has undermined virtually everything he has tried to do for the American people. She has spent every moment of her current speakership seeking new ways to defy President Trump and by doing so, she has undermined America.
Darlin’, know thy limits.
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