In a recent Salt Lake Tribune article, Rep. Blake Moore said it would be “irresponsible” to tie President Trump’s hands in Iran. What is truly irresponsible is to applaud a war that put Utahns in danger and then to treat the rescue mission as the main story.
Congress is not supposed to rubber-stamp wars after the fact. It is supposed to decide whether a president should take the country into war in the first place. Reuters reported that legal experts say the attacks on Iran are pushing the boundaries of Trump’s constitutional authority, and the War Powers Resolution allows only limited unilateral action absent congressional authorization.
Moore later described helping rescue Utahns stranded in Dubai. That assistance was welcome. But it should not be treated as a heroic political moment. If Utahns had to be evacuated from a war zone created by reckless decisions in Washington, that is not a triumph. It is a warning.
By March 5, Reuters had reported the conflict had already killed U.S. service members and destabilized the region.
Utahns need a representative focused less on cleaning up the consequences and more on preventing them. That means asking hard questions about legality, strategy, objectives and the human cost before cheering on presidential military action.
We deserve a representative who will challenge reckless presidential decisions, not excuse them.
Lynn R. Webster, Salt Lake City