President Donald Trump started his presidency "hell-bent" on a confrontation with Iran, and he has it now, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said Wednesday.
"The question is whether he wants to escalate it into a war, with more troops being sent," the Illinois Democrat told CNN's "New Day." "When thousands of Americans are being asked to go to the Middle East and to risk their lives, it is time for us to step back and measure exactly what our goal is at this moment. If we are looking for stability in the Middle East, if we are trying to reduce terrorism by Iran and other countries, let us do it thoughtfully, not impulsively."
He said he hopes Trump "will say something this morning that shows that he's slept on this, thought about it, taken a breath and decided not to escalate this situation into a full-blown war."
Durbin also slammed Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for calling Iran's missile strikes into Iraq an "act of war" Tuesday night.
"I can tell you that that approach by Sen. Graham is one that will lead us directly into war," said Durbin. "It is a confrontational approach instead of a measured approach."
Congress has a "clear responsibility" to make it "abundantly clear' to Trump that it has a constitutional responsibility when it comes to any possibility of war, Durbin added.
It's clear that Trump has the authority to order actions to protect Americans and U.S. interests around the world, Durbin also said, but if "hundreds, if not thousands of troops" are being moved into the Middle East, that would mark an escalation.
"At that point, we need to stop and ask ourselves, are we ready for another war in the Middle East?" said Durbin. "We have gone through two of the longest wars in the history of the United States, endless wars, and it's time for us to measure whether we're going to continue this posture indefinitely. I think it's a serious mistake if we do. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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