100 Days Since President Trump Launched His War Of Choice In Iran, Durbin Again Criticizes The Administration For Their Unclear Strategy

Sunday marked 100 days since President Trump launched his war on Iraq. What was true at the beginning of the conflict is still true. There is no evidence that the president has a coherent plan to resolve this quagmire of his own making. On Sunday, the president assured the nation in an interview that he was, quote, very close to a deal. If that sounds like a familiar refrain, it is. President Trump has been saying some variation on that sentence every week since the war began over 100 days ago. Yet just hours after he made those comments, Iran and Israel traded a new wave of strikes, and the Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia, fired on Israel and threatened to further restrict shipping in the Middle East. While this latest exchange has ended, thank goodness, the larger regional instability remains. Global oil reserves continue to diminish by the hour, and in a cruel irony, it appears President Trump is inching toward a deal with Iran that is very similar to the Obama-Iran nuclear agreement which Trump recklessly withdrew from during his first term in office.

Ultimately, wars cannot be won through threat or bluster. We need a real plan that brings a real end to these hostilities and to Iran's threats in the region. I am pleased my Republican colleagues are finally starting to realize that reality. Last week, the House passed a resolution requiring the President receive congressional approval before taking any further military action against Iran, and last month the Senate advanced a similar measure. Where in the world did members of Congress and the House and Senate come up with the idea that the Congress has any authority to say anything about the declaration of war? Well, it might be the Constitution, which says in Article 1, Section 8, it is the authority and responsibility of Congress to declare war, a fact which this President has totally ignored when it comes to Iran. We cannot allow the President to wage a war without checks, oversight, and accountability. Congress must step up and exercise its responsibility.