The GOP rolls over for Trump on Iran

Trump almost started a war with Iran. Republicans were with him every step of the way.

President Trump and Lindsey Graham.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Alenast/iStock, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image, SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Could hostilities with Iran be revealing small cracks in the seemingly solid line of Republican support for President Trump? On Wednesday, Senator Mike Lee angrily described the Trump administration's classified briefing on the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani as "insulting and demeaning" and "probably the worst" he's attended on any military matter in his career. Lee, with Senator Rand Paul standing beside him in agreement, blasted the Trump team for being unable to name any potential scenario in which administration officials would seek Congressional authorization for future military actions against Iran and for insinuating that anyone who debated or questioned the appropriateness of any further engagements would only be "emboldening Iran." "It's un-American, it's un-Constitutional, and it's wrong," Lee said of the administration's position.

Lee is right. And his willingness to continue speaking out about the meeting, including on Fox News, provides welcome words of caution and restraint as tensions escalate with Iran.

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Neil J. Young

Neil J. Young is a historian and the author of We Gather Together: The Religious Right and the Problem of Interfaith Politics. He writes frequently on American politics, culture, and religion for publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, Vox, and Politico. He co-hosts the history podcast Past Present.