In the Face of Evil

            It’s refreshing to see how many of President Trump’s detractors approve his punishment of Syria for the gassing of it citizens. Countries around the world that had become inured to Obama’s reliance on toothless negotiations to combat evil are now applauding our re-emergence as a world leader.

            Russia, of course, has sent a destroyer to the Mediterranean to punctuate its verbal condemnation of the U.S. missile attack. But they can’t protest too loudly, in view of their collaboration with President Assad in his continued campaign of genocide against his own people. There is even evidence that Russia abetted Assad not only in the drone supervision of the chemical attack, but also in the bombing of the hospital treating the victims, ostensibly to destroy the evidence of the execrable act.

            At home, even Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, the President’s implacable enemies in Congress, have cheered Mr. Trump’s decisive action. Some, like the isolationist Rand Paul, would have preferred a declaration of war from Congress. But this myopic midget’s reading of the Constitution ignores a long history of presidential action in similar circumstances, not to mention that prior approval would have defeated the effectiveness of our military response. To quote Stephen Carter, “Clinging to the long-dead notion that Congress must first declare war might be comforting, but it has nothing to do with reality.”

            Perhaps these developments will give relentless critics of President Trump a reason to recognize, at least in this instance, that he is acting in the best interests of our national security. And in the best interests of humanity in the face of evil.