TOMS RIVER-Leftist, Socialist Democrat Andy Kim, representing New Jersey’s third congressional district in Washington, D.C. is having a hard time these days trying to figure out which side of the issue he’s on when it comes to President Donald J. Trump’s decision to strike against Iranian General Qassim Solemeini.
Photo: Andy Kim with President Barack Obama and leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Kim, a former note-taker for U.S. General David Petreaus confirmed Solemeini’s role in the deaths of hundreds of U.S. troops during the Iraqi war, agreed the general should have been a target, but stopped short of approving the strike that killed him and other staff members last week…because, you know, Trump did it.
Before being elected to Congress, Kim worked in the Obama administration’s think tank on Iraqi military affairs. During his tenure in office, Obama oversaw at least 50 billion dollars in aid to Iran which Trump claims funded the attacks against Americans in Iraq. Obama later paid a $1.7 billion cash ransom to Iran in exchange for the release of American prisoners held in the country. During Obama’s eight-year war in Iraq, inaction led to the growth of ISIS, which later spread to the entire region before being defeated during Trump’s administration.
“Suleimani was a murderer who has the blood of Americans and our allies on his hands. There is no doubt about that. But there is also no doubt that these strikes significantly heighten the risk to Americans living in the region including our military and diplomatic presence,” Kim said initially after the strike that killed the general. “The potential for severe retaliation from Iran and Iranian-backed forces is very real, and decisions made during the coming hours and days will determine whether we see the threat of a greater regional war in the Middle East realized.”
We all know Andy Kim is a supersmart genius and an expert in military strategy and we know that he knows Iran does not want war with the U.S. After all, the country has been saber-rattling since the mid-1970’s and lacks the ability or the desire to confront America head-on.
But Kim added, “We need to ensure the safety of Americans in the region and to take every measure to avoid the outbreak of war.”
Kim is walking a fine line with Trump and Iran. On one hand, Kim is trying to appease his close ally, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat whack-pack. On the other, Kim realizes half of his district is Trump country and he can’t go full-boat socialist in public anymore.
So Kim later went slightly more on the Trump side of the issue.
“Qasem Suleimani had a vision for the Middle East without American forces where Iran was the undisputed power of the region. With the developments today of the Iraqi Parliament voting to expel U.S. troops from Iraq and the Iranian announcement of their full withdrawal of the diplomatic process to halt their nuclear weapons ambitions, Suleimani’s goals, not ours, are being realized,” Kim said. “We can still stop this slide. We cannot allow ISIS to regain their footing, as to do so would erase hard fought gains and put us at further risk. We cannot give up on diplomatic efforts to halt nuclear weapons as to do so would leave only nightmarish scenarios on the table.”
Realizing Trump’s action might actually work, and realizing he doesn’t want to be the bad Monday morning quarterback, Kim slipped further away from the Pelosi-Schumer narrative.
“We must take seriously any and all threats against Americans and not dismiss them as “a little noise.” These are bleak times, but there is still time to develop and execute a strategy that will give us the best chance to navigate through this crisis,” he added.
Then Iran launched a handful of missiles into vacant farmland and said, “Hey, we’ve had enough of this.”
Kim responded by pushing himself closer to the Trump line on the issue.
“The President’s remarks today give me hope that we have an opportunity to de-escalate this crisis with Iran. While this is an important step forward, we should be clear that these remain threatening times,” Kim said. “It does not alleviate the threat still posed by proxy groups and Shia militia groups who may seek revenge.”
Sounds good right? Well, Comrade Andy can’t control himself and had to get himself back under the Pelosi-Schumer umbrella before they realized he half-heartedly gave props to Trump.
“It does not remedy the very serious damage made to American interests and security in the Middle East over the past week. Our counter-ISIS effort has effectively ended, Iran has signaled its intentions for restarting its nuclear program, and we have further alienated key allies in Iraq,” he clamored. “Now is the time to begin reversing those losses by working with our allies in the region and building diplomatic channels that keep us from war.”
Not wanting to put himself in the Trump doghouse, Kim tapped his statement off by saying, “We need a long-term strategy for dealing with the threat Iran poses that keeps America safe; I stand ready to work with President Trump to find solutions and a path to a more secure and stable world.”
Kim also did not waste any time using Trump’s strike against Iran to patronize local veterans and service members in anticipation of this year’s election.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the brave men and women from our Joint Base serving in the Middle East,” Kim said. “My priority is always going to be ensuring their safety, and making sure that when we put them in harm’s way, we do so with a strategy and an end.”
