Marc Abear: Rep. Jim Himes demonstrates double standards in politics

To The Daily Sun,

Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, drew criticism recently suggesting on MSNBC, supporters of President Donald Trump’s military strikes of narco-terrorist boats should be “worried about who gets killed” when a future Democrat becomes President.

He said, “There will be a Democrat president someday … And all my MAGA friends who are cheering on these illegal killings need to imagine who gets killed when President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says that it doesn’t matter what the law says, she’s going to do what she’s going to do.”

This is definitely a quote from a debate … clearly out of context. That is a function of holding letters to the editor to a specific number of words. Just saying, if the shoe fits …

Himes accused the White House of concealing its legal reasoning from Congress. Himes also said, “There is a purported memo inside the White House articulating the legal basis for these strikes which has not been shared with the Congress… I wonder why it hasn’t been shared with the Congress —because I bet if it exists, that it’s nonsense.”

He went on … “If Lindsey Graham and other Republicans want to go the route of saying, ‘It’s OK to kill people illegally, just so long as the American public supports it,’ the American public needs to really think that through…” Leaving the reader to wonder what war is; any war.

Himes was silent on the Barack Obama administration’s record of lethal action without congressional approval. Who is Anwar al-Awlaki? Who was his son?

Rep. Himes et al sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding: The release of the list of organizations designated as terrorist groups. They also demanded evidence justifying the recent Caribbean strikes. Is there evidence of a double standard here? Democrats who tolerated unilateral military action under Obama now decry the same under Trump.

Mark Abear

Meredith