DOUG SCHOEN: As a Democrat, I back Trump's Iran strike — my party is wrong
As a Democrat, it is profoundly disturbing to me that many in my party have widely condemned what appears to be, at least initially, a successful, coordinated effort to promote fundamental and lasting change in Iran.
It falls to me, a Democrat who has supported my party and its candidates for many years, to state what is obvious: the Trump administration and our military deserve strong support for leading a coordinated strike with Israel that has already led to the death of Iran’s supreme leader and multiple senior Iranian officials and continues to degrade Tehran’s nuclear and conventional weapons programs.
This action also offers the potential for long-overdue regime change, where large percentages of the Iranian population have long supported removing the current illegitimate regime — one of the rationales the President offered for striking Tehran and other Iranian cities at this time.
Very sadly, many in my party seem more interested in regime change in Jerusalem than they are in regime change in Teheran and the possibility of lasting political change.
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Given that Iran is arguably the world’s biggest state sponsor of terrorism and repeatedly refused to voluntarily dismantle its nuclear program through peaceful means, the threat to U.S. and allied national security is real and imminent, requiring decisive action by the U.S. and Israeli governments.
I fervently hope my party will now focus in a bipartisan way on supporting our efforts in the Middle East, rather than condemning President Trump for not seeking to formally invoke the War Powers Act before launching the coordinated strike on Iran with Israel.
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I doubt this will happen.
But as someone who remains committed to the Democratic Party and its traditional ideals, I believe it is critically important to acknowledge the courageous role President Trump played in these events — from arresting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to now contributing to the removal of the supreme leader of one of the most dangerous theocratic states, Iran.
I very much hope that the leaders of my party will stand with the administration and the people of Iran in the coming days to support an effort that — for the first time in many years — offers the prospect of peace and democratization in the Middle East.
What could be more important?