Kurds 354, Trump 60

By

Opinion

October 17, 2019 - 10:11 AM

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., walks out with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D- MD., left, after their meeting Wednesday with President Donald Trump on the situation with Turkey. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

That was some vote in the House Wednesday on a resolution opposing President Trump’s withdrawal from northern Syria and noting the mayhem that has resulted. In an era marked by furious partisanship, the House voted 354 to 60 for the resolution.

Democrats voted 225-0, which was no big surprise. But Republicans also voted by more than 2 to 1 in favor of the rebuke, 129-60, and they included Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whip Steve Scalise and Conference Chair Liz Cheney. National security experts Mac Thornberry, former Chairman of the Armed Services Committee; top Foreign Affairs Republican Michael McCaul ; and rising star and Marine veteran Michael Gallagher also opposed the President. The magnitude of the vote suggests comparable majorities when the bicameral, bipartisan resolution hits the Senate floor.

The resolution carries no force of law, but Mr. Trump should still take it seriously. The rebuke sends a message of eroding trust in the President’s foreign-policy judgment that could carry over to other issues. Republicans may have felt there was safety in numbers since Mr. Trump will find it harder to single out individuals for Twitter targeting.

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