Riley Moore’s war

Here we are again in the midst of another war. This one we started. And this one, like several before, seems unwinnable — at least at a cost any sane American would be willing to pay. The Iran War has resulted in diesel fuel, which underpins our entire economy, rising to $6.50 per gallon. Unnecessary inflation has inflicted serious pain on the average person. Nineteen service members have died. Didn’t President Donald Trump promise to keep us out of foreign wars?

One of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders is Rep. Riley Moore, who represents West Virginians in Congressional District 2. That district covers roughly the northern half of the state. Moore hasn’t just supported Trump, he seems to have lost all judgment and principle in doing so. Remember the photo of Moore grinning with two thumbs-up before a cage full of miserable men who had been snatched off American streets and jammed into a Salvadorian jail?

The Constitution gives Congress — not the president — the power to declare war. But the president is commander in chief of the military and is responsible for keeping us safe. Supporters of a muscular approach argue that the world is much different than it was in 1789, and a president’s power must be read more broadly than written in the Constitution. Yet ignoring the actual text of the Constitution never seems to work out well.

In practice, presidents often assume too much power at the ambiguous boundary between war and other military action. To set clear limits on the president’s military power, in 1973 Congress passed the War Powers Resolution over the veto of then-President Richard Nixon. It provides that the president can send U.S. Armed Forces into action abroad only by declaration of war by Congress, “statutory authorization,” or in case of “a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”

Congress has neither declared war on Iran nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for the use of military force against Iran. Iran had not attacked the United States until we attacked them. The Iran War is simply illegal. To reassert Congress’ power over war-making, five separate Congressional resolutions have been introduced calling for the withdrawal of forces from hostilities in Iran. A vote for one of these resolutions signals a representative’s opposition to the war. A vote against signals support for the war. This is where Riley Moore has failed us.

The first of these resolutions — House Concurrent Resolution 38 — was presented on March 5. The most recent — House Concurrent Resolution 93 — was just presented on Sept. 15. All of them read virtually the same. They direct the president, pursuant to Sec. 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove U.S. troops from hostilities in Iran. The last two have received enough votes from both Democrats and Republicans to pass.

But Moore has voted against each of the resolutions to end the war. In so doing, he has made this war his own. No backpedaling or dissembling can change this.

If Moore actually opposes the war, even though there is no evidence of this whatsoever, what could possibly cause him to fall in line behind Trump against his will? A recent book, “Profiles in Cowardice” by Jacob Weisburg, may provide the answer. Weisburg tries to answer Mark Twain’s question about why there is so much physical courage on public display, but so little moral courage.  

This book details the stories of eight public figures who collaborated with Trump after initially opposing his excesses. They include Jeff Bezos and Mitch McConnell. Weisberg identifies several factors that operated on them — and could be operating on Moore — including peer pressure within the Republican caucus, fear of being ostracized by that caucus and Republican donors if he opposes Trump, and sheer ambition. 

In the end, however, we must believe what we see in front of us. Moore embraces Trump’s war, despite what the Constitution and the laws of Congress say. So, when you are forced to pay a ridiculously inflated price to fill up your gas tank, remember you have Moore to thank.