Semantically Challenged

That's the most generous interpretation of the position of Donald Trump and members of his administration vis a vis the killing of Qasem Soleimani.

According to Mr. Trump's first statement on the subject, Soleimani was considered an imminent thereat to the security of the United States, because he planned to attack one of our embassies.  Over a two-day period, one evolved to four, in Trump's telling.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that members of both House and Senate were fully briefed on the 1 = 4 equation.  He stopped just short of calling liars members who claimed never to have been given such information.  Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, since, in the past, Pompeo has referred to briefings for Trump as more like casual conversations.

Allan Lichtman, who's correctly predicted every Presidential election since 1984, may be able to help unravel this tangle.  Lichtman feels Mr. Trump may seriously have damaged his re-election prospects with the Soleimani action.

This Coming Tuesday

Three events, each historically significant, will take place on Tuesday, January 14.

1. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will bring to the floor a resolution to send the existing Articles of Impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial.
2. Speaker Pelosi will also put on the floor for a vote the names of those Representatives she believes should become House Managers for the Trump impeachment trial.
3. The last Democratic debate before caucuses and primaries will be held in Des Moines Iowa.

Constitution 101.1

Donald Trump's wishes to the contrary notwithstanding, he may have to acquiesce in the Constitution's definition of his responsibilities.

Eloissa Slotkin, a member of the House of  Representatives and a former CIA o0fficial,  has sponsored a resolution requiring Mr. Trump to refrain from any further use of our military against Iran without Congress' specific statutory authorization for such actions.

Sounds like Article 1 Section 8  to me ...

Things to Come?

In the film Things to Come, written directly for the screen by H. G. Wells, were first shown a dystopian future.  Then, humanity begins to regain its sanity.

Might be a description of the reaction by two Republican Senators to the briefing they received today on the killing of Qasem Soleimani.

Black History Month

Takes place soon - February 1 through February 29.

In honor of that month, I'll use here an example from my time in the classroom at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.  I offered my students (in Computer Information Science) an extra-credit project - researching the life of an individual I told them represented a nexus of their heritage and mine.

Dates To Keep In Mind

The race for the Democratic Presidential nomination might very well be over after March 3, 2020.

February 3:  Iowas Democratic Caucuses 

February 11: New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary

February 22: Nevada Democratic Caucuses

February 28:  South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary

March 3: California Democratic Presidential Primary

Don't Call Us

They can't.

U S troops being newly deployed to the Middle East will not be allowed to bring personal cellphones or any other electronic devices that might reveal their location.

Lt. Col. Michael Burns, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, acknowledged the unusual nature of the decision.  He noted that many troops deployed already have personal electronic devices, or can buy such items on site. But Burns explained that the decision was made in part because those elements of the 82nd that are deploying constitute a rapid response force, which may be sent from location to location without advance notice.

Adults in the Room

It appears there were at least a few when Donald Trump proposed bombing cultural sites in Iran.  But unfortunately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wasn't one of them.