Gen. Soleimani's assassination puts Trump in a no-win situation

By Myles Hoenig

The simplest explanation for the cancellation of the hearings is that it is a no-win situation.

It’s becoming clearer and clearer that there was no legitimate justification for the assassination [of General Qassem Soleimani] and the blowback has even devastated the power of the military, considering that they may be forced to leave Occupied Iraq.

The Pentagon, State Department and media can spin it all they want to but more and more people are seeing it for what it was, an attempt to raise public support for killing a ‘terrorist’ during an impeachment trial. Frankly, it’s a stupid move as it only intensifies broader attacks on Trump’s credibility and lack of intelligence.

There is also growing evidence that the claim that Soleimani killed over 600 Americans was manufactured by the military. And even if he had some responsibilities in supplying the weapons that killed American soldiers, it can be easily spun that he is just a name and face to one of many factors why the Iraqi invasion wasn’t a mistake, but a huge war crime.

What would be most destructive to the American Empire would be to be forced to leave Iraq. Whether that happens or not, we can’t say now. But the State and Defense Departments’ rejection of such a resolution by the Iraqi Parliament will reverberate wherever the US has its troops, especially in the Middle East. By now, only the most ‘brain-dead’ would recognize that the word of the US is worthless and countries will assess their relationship to the US based on this.

The blowback to his assassination also reaches into Congress. Even Republicans question the dismissiveness of Congressional oversight by the White House. This does not bode well during an impeachment trial where some of the Republican caucus will have to decide if this abuse of Executive power is similar to his browbeating of Zelensky, the central charge. If only some Republicans would have the courage to follow the Constitution and not their cult leader.

Time will tell how this will all play out. There is even talk of several Republican Senators privately endorsing Trump’s removal. But again, this takes courage and that is something of Congress, of both parties, has no history.

Myles Hoenig is a veteran educator who has worked for social and political change since the early 1970s. He is a former candidate and campaign manager for the Green Party for local, state and federal offices.

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

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