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Up is Down, Left is Right: The Political Fall-Out of Trump's Syrian Airstrike

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | April 7, 2017 |

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | April 7, 2017 |


If you’re a liberal, the political response to Donald Trump’s decision to order a military strike in Syria has been … weird. Hannah gave a great overview of the diplomatic mess Trump’s decision puts us in, but assuming that we all survive the fall out, will Donald Trump pay a price politically?

It’s a confusing situation, because a military response to Bashar al-Assad’s regime is something that President Obama supported, but he couldn’t get the support of the Republican Congress, which now supports Donald Trump, even though Donald Trump didn’t support military intervention in Syria until yesterday, and most of his alt-right base still does not support military intervention.

Though by no means the unanimous response, the moderate and liberal camp generally supports the action, but not the way in which it was executed.

Obama went to Congress, and the Republicans denied him.

Trump went around Congress, and establishment Republicans are celebrating the very action they opposed when Obama sought it.

This is an action, in fact, that Hillary Clinton probably would have supported. Meanwhile, most Democrats seems supportive of the strike, but believe that Congress should have made the decision.

I think ultimately we’re wary of any action that Donald Trump takes, and we’re all suspicious of ulterior motives, because while Trump ordered a military strike, his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has suggested that this in no way changes our policy toward Syria. Trump is trying to have it both ways. It’s also confusing because Donald Trump supposedly ordered the strike for humanitarian reasons in response to Assad’s use of chemical weapons on civilian women and children. And yet, Donald Trump denies those very same people from seeking refuge in the United States.

So?

Meanwhile, Russia is angry, which confuses the issue surrounding whether Trump and Putin are in bed together, which may be the point? To distract us from the Russian collusion story? Or maybe it’s political cover?

Or maybe Donald Trump was genuinely moved by images he saw of women and children dying in the chemical attack. Or maybe he just wants to show off his new toys with China’s leaders in town?

The strangest twist of all, however, is that Trump’s decision to attack Syria has pissed off his most ardent supporters: White nationalists. Bannon’s people.

Milo Yiannopoulos has also described the airstrikes as “FAKE and GAY.”

Meanwhile, some of the white nationalists are now throwing their support behind Tulsi Gabbard, a Hindu Congressman and Democrat from Hawaii, who strongly opposed the attack.

The take home? Up is down, left is right: Dogs and cats living together … mass hysteria! Turns out, there’s a lot of nuance when it comes to foreign diplomacy.