As House Democrats walked out of a briefing over the US military campaign against Iran, many expressed exasperation with the Trump administration.

Today, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn) shared his reaction with reporters following the briefing: “I’m more convinced now that this is going to be open-ended and forever.”

He added, “This feels like a multitrillion-dollar open-ended conflict with a very confusing and constantly shifting set of goals. They clearly seem fine with hard-line elements being in control of the country, because they plan to permanently run air operations in order to chase [Iran’s] missile-making capability, drone-making capability, and nuclear capabilities.”

  • ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip
    8·
    2 days ago

    The fact that you no longer require an act of congress to deploy troops was the biggest mistake America ever made.

    • Basic Glitch@sh.itjust.worksOP
      8·
      2 days ago

      I mean technically what he is doing is illegal, but so is 95% of everything this administration does.

      As far as biggest mistakes America ever made, I would have to say:

      1. The entire patriot act, which basically allows the government to legally ignore all of our rights in the name of protecting our safety (for instance during an unaccountable war started by the people who are keeping us safe.)

      2. Citizens United, which declares faceless and unaccountable corporations with billions of dollars to burn are people too, and deserve the same consideration as individual citizens. More money to burn= more donations= “rights” and demands of unaccountable corporations are prioritized above the rights and demands of the American people.

      So hypothetically, if corporations wanted to idk, overthrow the government or something…, they could: •Dump billions of dollars into propaganda and misinformation campaigns.

      •Buy and install the majority of elected officials that make up a government

      •Fully privatize the government via contracts the officials they have purchased then hand to their monopolies, so they profit from tax dollars and become the only option for public services (again with zero accountability).

      •Sart global wars to capture resources, increase their profits, and spread their inverted totalitarianism around the globe in the name of spreading democracy and human rights. Aka Friendly fascism.

      1. Ever creating the CIA after WWII, and enabling a government authority to have zero accountability from the public or even the president, for their policies or their budget, which is composed of tax dollars but also an untraceable amount of mystery income gained by their investments/partnerships with private corporations… 🙃

      There was also some fucky shit going on with the CIA and mistake #1, (the Patriot Act), which I still don’t understand, and honestly nobody seems to actually understand. Because of whatever the patriot act did, each president gets to pick a new leader for the CIA, in the name of having more accountability. Because we all know more executive power should help eliminate the deep state…🙃

      So the guy currently leading the CIA and directing all of these wars, was selected by Trump and his corporate handlers, to jizz this neo manifest destiny shit around the globe with zero plan other than destabilize, profit, and successful purchase/capture the entire globe, or, kill us all by trying. Drill baby drill.

      • ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip
        1·
        1 day ago

        It is actually legal for the president to deploy troops without congress declaring war. It is how America has fought every war since WW2. Presumably the supreme court could intervene and say “actually, this one wasn’t a real emergency,” but that’s never happened.

        As it happens, it’s a lot easier for a president to deploy troops than for congress to say “actually don’t deploy those troops,” so it’s functionally an unchecked power that we invented to deploy to Korea.

        • Basic Glitch@sh.itjust.worksOP
          1·
          1 day ago

          https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/are-us-attacks-iran-legal-2026-03-04/

          Presidents of both parties have conducted military strikes without congressional approval when it was in the national interest but less intense in ⁠duration and scope than what would be considered a war – a limit that Trump may be testing.

          He’s already admitted and at this point Congress seems fully aware, this is going to last beyond any scope that would be considered a strike vs war.

          Also, why TF did he hit a fucking elementary school? I hate to use the term double tap because it’s fucking stupid and this is not a video game, but that is the term they used to describe it. Just like they did to those fishermen they killed in Venezuela.

          They’re escalating, just like any serial killer.

          WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW SAY?

          Legal experts said many countries will consider the attacks unjustified under the United Nations Charter, which states that member states must refrain from using force or the threat of force against other states. There are exceptions when force is authorized by the U.N. Security Council or used in self-defense in response to armed attack, neither of which applies. There is also the concept of pre-emptive self-defense, which would arguably allow the United States to attack Iran if it had proof of an imminent, overwhelming attack. The United ⁠States has a veto at the U.N. Security Council, shielding Washington. Legal experts said violating international law still carries a cost and both the United Kingdom and Spain have limited the use of their bases in the attacks, citing the lack of justification for the conflict.

          It seems pretty clear what would happen if they (Trump, Netenyahu, MsB, and all the sycophants below them and handlers above them) ever faced a trial for their crimes. Which is why they’re hoping starting WWIII will keep that from happening.