Lindsey Graham is Throwing a Childish Fit Over Trump’s Syria Withdrawal
Jose Nino
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Seasoned neocon Lindsey Graham is fuming.
Graham had a heated confrontation with acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan over the Trump Administration’s Syria strategy.
At the Munich Security Conference this past weekend, Graham claims that he cursed at Shanahan and “declared him an adversary.”
Graham had choice words for Trump’s plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria telling Shanahan that it was “the dumbest f—ing idea” he has ever heard.
Graham doubled the down on his opposition to Trump’s withdrawal plan:
“Well, if the policy is going to be that we are leaving by April 30, I am now your adversary, not your friend,” Graham told Shanahan.
Despite the tension between Graham and Shanahan, a Defense Department official told NBC news that the meeting “ended on a positive note”.
Shanahan assumed the role of Defense chief right after James Mattis left the Trump administration, which appeared to be in protest of Trump’s Syria strategy.
Graham’s latest outburst is just a sign of how bitter the DC establishment has become with Trump’s recent decision to pull out of Syria and Afghanistan.
This culminated in a 68-23 vote in the U.S. Senate, where the political establishment stood firmly opposed to President Trump’s withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Syria
Graham and his swamp minions can whine and pout like petulant children all they want, but they must remember that Trump is President and for all matters concerning foreign policy, the buck stops with the Executive Branch.
Trump was elected on an America First platform that emphasizes securing our own border as and not continuing never-ending wars abroad.
However, it has become abundantly clear that the neocon wing of the DC swamp wants Trump to spend all of his political capital on unpopular nation-building schemes. By getting him bogged down in foreign adventures, it will prevent him from pursuing rational immigration reforms and border security measures—the pillars of his winning presidential campaign.
With individuals in the Trump administration like John Bolton advocating for hawkish actions towards countries like Venezuela, Trump must hold firm and adamantly oppose these schemes.
At the end of the day, Trump should re-assert his executive authority and tell neocon knuckle draggers to pound sand.
This is his administration not theirs.
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