Leftist politicians and their water-carriers in the media are incensed that most Americans are weary of foreign wars. While President Biden ramps up the dangerous rhetoric against Russia and sends more “lethal aid” to Ukraine, the people are less enthusiastic. Two-thirds say they don’t want U.S. forces involved in the conflict. It might be too early to tell, but a major cultural shift could be taking place. Twenty years ago, when George W. Bush decided to set the Middle East on fire, war fever ran high, especially among conservatives. Perhaps two decades of watching their sons and daughters being killed or maimed in faraway lands, for no reason, finally took its toll. Better late than never.
But this is too much for Democrats. Former U.S. senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) actually told MSNBC’s “Deadline” program that Fox News host Tucker Carlson was “really, really close to treason” for questioning the Biden administration’s bellicose approach to the Russia/Ukraine conflict. Host Nicole Wallace a few days later vacuously chastised Carlson for “associating…with an American adversary at a time of war.” The hosts of the popular morning program The View want Carlson and former U.S. representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HA) investigated by the Department of Justice (!) for their antiwar views. NBC’s “national security contributor” Frank Figliuzzi said that Carlson, U.S. Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) aren’t with “Team America.”
Even so-called “moderate” Republicans have joined the war chorus. U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) said Gabbard is spreading “treasonous lies.”
Have any of these critics ever read the Constitution – especially those, like McCaskill and Romney, who have sworn to uphold it?
The First Amendment guarantees that Americans can speak out on any issue that concerns them. It doesn’t read, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press unless some politicians want to start a war.” It says Congress shall make no law, period. It is when politicians want to start wars that free speech is most essential. We the people should absolutely and always debate the merits of going to war. Anyone questioning that right and duty is subverting our Constitution.
The power to make war is an awesome responsibility. It rests with Congress, as dictated by Article I, Section 8. Senator Hawley and Representative Cawthorn are upholding their commitments to both the people and the Constitution by starting a dialogue that questions the current narrative. This is not treason. It is their constitutional duty. What McCaskill, Romney, and their cast of warmongers prefer is to offer the American people a fait accompli.
Fortunately, the United States is not at war. No formal declaration has been made. No U.S. troops are involved. Casually throwing out words like treason is worse than irresponsible right now. Carlson, Gabbard, Cawthorn, and others are right to be skeptical of another foreign conflict, especially when it could involve aggressive action against the armed forces of a nuclear power. Politicians and media personalities can thump their chests for war, but it isn’t “Team America” they support. It’s Team Biden, and by a margin of two-to-one, Americans don’t want to fight for a president willing to risk World War III to distract us from his failed party and presidency.
