‘Darth Vader’ of the Middle East eliminated by Trump’s bold action

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly sounded a mantra that “Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.”

The media eagerly spread this slogan that hyped Barack Obama’s presidency.

“Celebrations broke out as news spread of Osama bin Laden’s death,” CBS declared. “In New York City, crowds chanted and cheered through the night.”

Unfortunately, the assassination of that terrorist murderer was one of the last times Americans showed some semblance of unity. We hoped that last week’s takeout of General Qassem Suleimani, one of the highest-ranking officials in Iran’s government, would have also been applauded by Democrats and the media and provide a unifying moment in America … at least for a day.

But the partisan divide is too vast and too deep. For Democrats and the mainstream media to admit that Donald Trump’s order to eliminate a global murderer like Suleimani would be asking too much from left.

Prominent Democrats bidding for the Democratic nomination for 2020 agreed that Suleimani was a murderous terrorist but they stopped short of crediting Trump’s decisive action in approving the attack.

Unconscionable comments were made by radicals like Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of the liberal “squad” of Democratic freshmen who is critical of every action the president makes, and Colin Kaepernick, the disgraced NFL quarterback who is best known for taking a knee during the national anthem.

Kaepernick used the drone strike to accuse the U.S. of targeting minorities at home and abroad.

“There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against black and brown people for the expansion of American imperialism,” he tweeted.

Omar tweeted that she and her fellow Democrats are outraged that President Trump assassinated Suleimani — who she referred to as “a foreign official” — without telling Congress. She also suggested that Trump needed a distraction and therefore ordered the strike because of his impeachment.

Omar’s “squad” mate Rashida Tlaib labeled Trump a “lawless president” and that his move “recklessly moves us closer to yet another unnecessary war.”

In reality, Trump did not declare war on Iran or anyone else. He authorized a strike after the trashing of the Iraq embassy in Baghdad and the intelligence that more attacks were planned.

As the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Soleimani was key to the global network and declared a terrorist by the U.S. In a statement announcing the death, the Defense Department said that Suleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.

General David Petraeus, who headed U.S. forces in Iraq, called Suleimani “a diabolically evil human being” while an American diplomat referred to him as the “Darth Vader of contemporary Middle Eastern politics.”

Republicans lawmakers quickly backed the president’s bold action to eliminate the evil mastermind.

Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted that the operation signaled a major blow to Iranian regime, calling Suleimani “one of the most ruthless and vicious members of the Ayatollah’s regime who had American blood on his hands.”

Despite the Democrats’ expressed alarm about the attack fueling a new Middle East conflict, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the U.S. remains committed to de-escalation. He warned Iran, however, of a “decisive” response if U.S. interests are harmed in Iraq.

The media and the public should care less about the reactions from “squad” members like Reps. Omar and Tlaib or from a person like Kaepernick. In order to remain relevant, they depend on the press to air their outrageous comments which are always anti-Trump and often anti-American.

Instead, the focus should be on real experts like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, America’s greatest ally in the region who can offer real advice and intelligence.

Following last week’s attack, Netanyahu called the takeout of Suleimani a justified act of self-defense, adding that Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security and self-defense and that Trump should be credited for “acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.”

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com