Sense At Last

13 July 2018

 

Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Congress Rejects Trump's NATO Tantrums 

 

The Republican Party is full of sycophants aching to avoid the bullying of Donald Trump and hoping to get a kind word out of him in the belief that that way lies re-election. The House spent almost 10 hours yesterday working on a cover-up of Russian collusion by putting an FBI agent to the metaphorical rack. Earlier this week, the president slammed America's NATO allies and called into question the utility of the alliance. Both houses of Congress, though, endorsed NATO and its aims in amendments to legislation almost immediately thereafter. There is hope, desperate but hope nonetheless, for the sanity right in America.

The Senate led off the repudiation of the president's go-it-alone nonsense. Defensenews.com wrote, "Hours after Trump landed in Brussels, the Senate passed a non-binding measure, 97-2, that expresses support for NATO, its mutual self-defense clause and calls on the administration to rush its whole-of-government strategy to counter Russia's meddling in the U.S. and other democracies." Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT)voted against, their libertarian instincts misleading them into weakening freedom in the face of rising authoritarianism. John McCain (R-AZ) did not vote owing to his continuing treatment for cancer.

Over in the House, the leadership "added the NATO resolution to its schedule this week, approved the item via voice vote, according to multiple reports. It calls NATO 'the most important and critical security link between the United States and Europe'," according to TheHill.com. A voice vote means no roll-call was taken, but no objection came from the floor. Technically, the language passed unanimously.

The Trump administration can not decide which way it wants to go. On the one hand, the president and his team adore the military and the massive spending that goes to keep the American war machine going. On the other hand, the administration believes that America is spending a disproportionate amount in protecting Europe. Should it reduce spending in Europe, boost it elsewhere, or what? There is a sense of grievance (unjustified) but little idea of how to address it.

Congress has stated that no matter what short-term moves the administration may make, the underlying, long-term interests of the US are tied to the NATO arrangements that have evolved since 1949 when the alliance was created.

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who sponsored the language, stated, "No one should ever doubt the United States' resolve in meeting its commitments to the mutual defense of the NATO alliance. Unfortunately, this motion has become necessary because some of our closest allies have come to question the US commitment to collective self-defense. President Trump has at times called the alliance 'obsolete.' Our allies are starting to wonder whether they can rely on the United States to come to their defense in a crisis."

It is useful to remember that Article 5 of the NATO agreement, which says an attack on one is an attack on all, has been activated just once in the history of the alliance, in September 2001. The Europeans insisted on declaring the Al Qaeda murders as an attack not just on the US but on Germany, Portugal, Denmark, and all the rest. European air forces sent planes to the US while The Pile still burned. "This has never happened before, that NATO has come to help defend our country, but it happened in this time of need and for that we are grateful," President George W. Bush said. "Together, we're building a very strong coalition against terror, and NATO is the cornerstone of that coalition."

Amen.

© Copyright 2018 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.


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