In March 2011, then-President Barack Obama ordered airstrikes against Libya without seeking the approval of Congress. These attacks continued for seven months and ultimately resulted in regime change. At the time, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was asked by a reporter if Obama had the authority to launch such an operation without congressional consent. Pelosi provided a succinct and unequivocal answer: “Yes.”
15 years later, however, many of the same Democrats who enthusiastically embraced Obama’s Libya operations have suddenly changed their tune when it comes to President Donald Trump’s strikes against Iran.
Last Tuesday, when a reporter asked current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) why the Democrats insist that President Trump does need congressional approval to order “Epic Fury,” he answered, “Well, obviously Libya and the circumstances connected to that were very different than the circumstances that we face in Iran right now.”
Jeffries couldn’t explain what exactly those supposed “differences” were, but his rambling response essentially boiled down to “orange man bad.”
This was also the theme of Democrat remarks during Wednesday’s Senate debate over a War Powers Resolution meant to constrain the President’s authority to attack Iran. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) summed up Democrats’ argument with this question: “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?”
Schumer was in the Senate when Obama launched the regime change war on Libya. Yet he never questioned the legitimacy of that act of unprovoked aggression – despite the fact that there was far less justification than currently exists for Trump’s strikes on Iran.
Likewise, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) was in Congress during Obama’s war on Libya, and he was just as acquiescent as Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Schumer. He has been singing a far different tune about President Trump’s military operations against the Iranian regime. Upon learning about it he brayed:
“Trump is lying to the American people as he launches an illegal, regime-change war against Iran. This is endangering American lives & has already resulted in mass civilian casualties. This is not making us safer & only damages the US & our interests. The Senate must immediately vote on the War Powers Resolution to stop it.”
But undoubtedly the most glaring instance of Democrat hypocrisy came from Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who also supported Obama’s Libya strikes when he was in the House in 2011. During an appearance on Bill Maher’s “Real Time” show on Friday, Maher read Schiff the following statement from “the administration”:
“The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest.”
“That’s too vague for you?” Maher asked, to which Schiff responded, with a clear tone of disgust, “totally vague.” But as Maher then revealed in a humiliating moment for Schiff, that statement came from the Obama administration to justify its strikes in Libya, not from the Trump administration.
This kind of nonsense was on display by every Democrat in the Senate, except for Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who correctly diagnosed the problem with his party during a Fox News interview with Jesse Watters. “It’s better that the Ayatollah’s been killed. But Democrats are afraid to just agree with Trump on anything,” Fetterman said. “I’m always going to pick my country over my party and I’m always going to acknowledge when a good thing has happened.”
Fetterman, in other words, believes that Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) has metastasized to such an extent in his party that its members would rather defend a terrorist regime responsible for killing Americans, its own citizens, and sponsoring terrorism throughout the Middle East than simply admit that President Trump is right about anything. He was the only Democrat senator who voted against the Senate’s War Powers Resolution, which failed 47-53.
A similar War Powers Resolution failed in the House on Thursday and, even worse, 53 House Democrats also voted against a resolution reaffirming that Iran remains the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to that vote as follows: “Just 3 years ago, a resolution condemning the terrorist Iranian regime passed the House by a vote of 420-1… Trump Derangement Syndrome is melting their brains.”
TDS is, by the way, a very real psychological condition according to psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert. As he wrote in the Wall Street Journal last November, “No serious mental-health professional would render such a partisan and derogatory diagnosis. Yet I’ve seen it in my own psychotherapy practice.” He describes patients who spontaneously mention Donald Trump in therapy sessions not to discuss policy but to process obsession, rage, and dread:
“Clinically, the presentation aligns with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders: persistent intrusive thoughts, emotional dysregulation and impaired functioning. Patients describe sleepless nights, compulsive news checking and physical agitation. Many confess they can’t stop thinking about Donald Trump even when they try.”
Politically, TDS obviously manifests itself as opposition to every policy pursued by the President, even if it means reversing previously held positions. For example, in the midst of the 2024 presidential race, Kamala Harris told “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker that Iran was our greatest adversary: “Iran has American blood on their hands. This attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles.” Yet last week she denounced Trump for his attack on Iran.
TDS also causes amnesia about belligerent statements made by prominent Democrats on Iran. During her 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was asked what her administration would do if Iran attacked Israel. Her response was startling: “I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran.” Nor was she, as has been claimed by the legacy media, merely speaking about Iran’s deployment of a nuclear weapon against Israel.
President Trump is absolutely correct when he writes, “The Radical Left Democrats, a Party that has completely lost its way, are complaining bitterly about the very necessary and important attack, by the United States and Israel, on Iran. What most people understand is that they are only complaining BECAUSE I DID IT.”
If Barack Obama or any other Democrat president had ordered the attack on Iran, the Democrats would now be singing his praises. The American people should remember that – and Democrats’ long history of supporting far less justifiable military operations under liberal leadership – the next time they see progressive politicians shouting about “illegal wars.”
David Catron is a Senior Editor at the American Spectator. His writing has also appeared in PJ Media, the American Thinker, the Providence Journal, the Catholic Exchange and a variety of other publications.
The last two paragraphs of this article says it all. The Democrats will continue to use the same excuses over and over as not to take the blame on themselves and continue to mislead the electorate about doing what is right. Everything will continue to split up the country. No cooperation whatsoever. The Democrats really want our nation to fall away so a higher more evil power can take control. End Time is just around the corner.
The Media is up to its eyeballs in the PROMOTION of the destruction of AMERICA.
Why are people so surprised at the hypocrisy of the Democrat party? They hate Donald Trump so much they will actually destroy this country to bring him down. I don’t know who they’re going to hate after he’s gone but I know where they’re going when they’re gone. They will be in good company. Adolf Hitler, chairman Mao, there’s plenty of room in the burning lake of fire for all of them and that’s exactly where they will go. God’s judgment is eternal and cannot be overturned by a liberal district court judge.
When a Democrat stands up to speak and says, “Two and two equals four,” he gets a round of applause from his fellow Democrats. When a Republican stands up to speak and says, “Two and two equals four,” the Democrats boo him.
It is tragic that “progresives'” 60-year subversion of education has produced a couple of generations of people unable to see what Democrats have become. Today’s Democrats, apparently except for Fetterman and Cuellar, simply don’t care how much damage they do to our country is they think it helps them cling to power. They are unspeakably awful, unpatriotic, dangerous people.
Libya had been neutered by Ronald Reagan and posed ZERO threat to the US. Iran, on the other hand, was building both nuclear weapons and the long-range missiles to use them against both Israel and the US. The soulless DIMMs are totally NUTS and immoral to boot!
President Trump is for a strong America and a strong Constitution. The Marxist Democrats, who are ballistically anti-Trump, are for a strong single world order run by ideological America last dividers.
This operation is being used by the democrats to overthrow this government only they were halted by common sense republican and democrats. No thanks to Schumer, Pelosi or Kelly or Adam Schiff or Rand Paul a RINO. And Iran is laughing at the democrats for the opportunity to get Hezbollah and Hamas involved to keep on attacking Israel with these statements and votes. Wait till this war expands. The fury of America will rain down on them too. The people in Lebanon and elsewhere will be suffering the consequences of their stance. Schumer’s statement made no sense and showed he and the DNC don’t care about the sovereignty of America nor want to protect the citizens against attacks nuclear or otherwise by Iran. Their propaganda to hate Trump as a disguise to destroy America is no longer viable. Everyone has seen what their plan is. And their doublespeak is known to everyone. Even Pelosi, Schumer and Hillary can’t hide anymore. We saw her in the deposition screaming. When one screams they are lying because they know deep down they are wrong. Only a democrat has this flaw, never will admit they made a mistake. It’s Trumps fault. Only this time it’s the dems and Jimmy Carter’s fault. This time Trump is correcting what should have been done years ago when Iran was much less powerful and rich, to have nuclear capabilities and missiles and drones. Iran is a thorn in the Middle East for centuries and continues today. It needs to be stopped. Putin is waging in but is not too enthusiast to help a lot nor openly. They can’t figure Trump out what he might do next. Iran still is not understanding Trump either. Because having Hezbollah attacking Israel will have bad consequences for Hezbollah, Lebanon and Iran. Thanks to the action of the democrats in the Congress. Jeffries should go home the vilest of the democrats in the House.
Lie, deflect, deny, blame….the liberal mantra
The shameful and disgusting display the DemoKKKRATS put on at the last SOTU tells you all you need to know about them. It’s power and party before country with them. They would burn America down so they could rule over the ashes. EVERY Republican should vote next election to continue and expand control of the Senate and House for the foreseeable future. This is no time to relax and not vote! President Trump needs ALL our help in MAGA!
Excellent article. Yes, we’ve all known for a long time now that Adam Shiff is intellectually stupid. Thoroughly. He has been elected and re-elected by the extremely liberal majority in San Francisco. I live in SoCal and even we raise our eyebrows at their (the Bay Area) many times perverse behavior and policies. So those are the constituents who keep him in office. Why do the Democrats keep voting in people who aren’t very intelligent? Perhaps Soros and his cronies put them in because he can direct them to do his bidding. I’d LOVE to track these individual politician’s money. I bet many of them have off shore accounts, full of his money, to protect them…
We’re screwed here in California because they have corrupted our elections and so many of us KNOW they have controlled them. But there aren’t enough people who want to get to the truth. Carl De Mayo is one of the few good guys in our state legislature and the California Democrats in our legislature have sorely mistreated him to the point of going against their own rules to oust him from committees and even had security walk him out of the chamber when he was talking to them in response to what they were doing. They didn’t like what he was saying, so they broke their own rules and ousted him. That’s what we’re dealing with. A stupid, vapid, governor who is non-existent here in California because he’s “campaigning” for president in the rest of the country and a Super Majority of Democrats who wag his tail when he has to vote or sign something. There was a time when this state was run pretty well. Pete Wilson was very good… and a Republican, I would leave this state in a heartbeat if I wasn’t already 71 and my children live here…
The Democrats turned Communists reek of evil in every sense of the word. They are always on the wrong side of the right and good things to do! They will try to stop Trump no matter how good it is for our country or its citizens. If the GOP cannot get us back into power in Nov. and 2028, our Republic will be lost. We conservatives MUST get to the polls in ALL of the elections, local, state and federal if we want to maintain our freedoms and not fall under the oppressive rule of these traitors!
Why oh why are these people still “ relevant”.
Todays democ RATS are altogether un-American and hate our country and especially Trump. chuck u schumer is what his name says he is out to chuck the U. S. A. They are the party of do as we say and don’t ask questions.
That terrible stench you have been smelling comes from Democrats being themselves and bringing that smell everywhere they go.
Just look at this photo. I can’t stand this hypocritical a..hole.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) summed up Democrats’ argument with this question: “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?”
Schumer voted in favor of the forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under GW.
I rest my case.
Shanda is a word in yiddish meaning disgrace or shame. I call Schumer a Shanda for the Jews.
We need to realize ourselves, then persuade an uneducated family member voter, that their democrat vote, protects candidatesthat are so jealous of President Trump, that they will destroy our country, because of this envious hatred. The legacy media contributes to their lack of awareness.
99% of the Democrat Political party are so filled with hatred, they can’t even step back and think for themselve, what happened to their personal moral compass!
How do we, as an individual, get the message across that they have lost respect from the citizens and the loyal voters when they were elected.
They do not even consider the US Constitution that they swore to Preserve and Protect, as a part of their sworn duty to their country when they were “elected”.
Where is their allegiance? To the “Political Party”, to the their wallets, or to corruption? They decide to shut down the Congress just for Spite for the elected President, hold back the pay for part of the government, but continue to collect their pay and draw out the shut down for their selfish childish, petulant games. The loyal government workers continue to fulfill their obligation to work without pay…all of Congress should forfeit their pay for the duration of the shutdown!
The refusal of shutting down Congress because of Party disagreements should be banned and make them come up to a workable solution to those disagreement if it means burning the “midnight oil” No time off or going home on holidays!
Every time they open their mouths, they reek of hypocrisy. I for one am sick and tired of Schmuck Schumer. He should be put out to pasture!
Demonic-rats have reeked of hypocrisy since their foundation. The only change being their ability to hide it.
Democrats are Communists and have been destroying the Country for Decades . Sadly Republicans are not much better .
I have come to the conclusion that the only Sense Dims have, is under their armpits and between their legs. Different scents I know, but Dims always come out smelling the same.
You could have just stopped your headline after you stated “Democrats reek” .
A famous General once stated , the lowest form of life on Earth is Politician , even lower than that is a Democratic Politician .
At the moment, their overriding concern is their unbridled hatred of Donald Trump. This consumes their every thought, every moment of every day. They will not let go of that hatred and will probably continue with this hatred long after Donald Trump is gone from this world.
Democrats are hypocrites from birth and too dumb to recognize it.
Well written article, agree totally
It’s time to say “Shoo” to Shumer, and hopefully New York voters will give him the “boot.”. As the popular word salad chef declares “We need to be unburdened by was has been…” we need to get rid of all the “has-beens” We need to vote OUT O-U-T !!! all the Demorats and Rino’s. Since there is apparently no cure for TDS… we’ll just have to fund more insane asylums for those people lacking common sense.
If the Democrats are against something Trump is doing you know it is the right thing to do.
Dems are as they have been for decades. We need to wake up to that fact. Many of their foreign friends are in our enemy category. Just consider the Dem political actions over the past several Dem administrations. Wake up tomorrow and look at the mercenary actions called protests, the judicial antics working to block nearly all actions taken by the current administration. How many millions of illegal aliens is ok in our country? We are just a step behind the EU in terms of a total population makeover.
There are still too many citizens relying on CNN and other legacy media that clearly provides propaganda for the LEFT takedown.
The Democratic Party and their allies should have no say about anything that our great President Trump is doing for our country! The Democratic Party and their allies have allowed more enemies to invade our country and create war against the true American people! We must destroy all enemies of the true American people foreign and domestic which includes the Democratic Party and their allies!
Demoncrats in congress and the senate are totally against President Trump. Anything he trys to do is not good enough for the demoncrats. He could give 100,000 dollars of his own money to every American including each one of them and they would complain.
Demoncrats need to get a life and stand up for America like President Trump does. And the socialist media needs to shape up and stop being an accomplice of the demoncrats.
When is this old fart going to go away?? This democrat politician is the biggest liar, bully, and big mouth jerk.
TDS is a raging mental disease that afflicts people who were very low IQ to begin with, The reelection of the best commander in chief in American history simply pushed them over the edge and cancelled out what very little common sense they had to begin with. Now that Ayatollah Khameni and his troglodytes are taking dirt naps, America and the world is much more safe and secure. But you will never convince the mental midgets in the democrat party to acknowledge that simple fact.
TDS, America has known what this is for years. But now it’s been ‘officially’ researched and exposed by medical experts in the mental disorders fields of medicine.
TDS…“Clinically, the presentation aligns with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders: persistent intrusive thoughts, emotional dysregulation and impaired functioning. Patients describe sleepless nights, compulsive news checking and physical agitation. Many confess they can’t stop thinking about Donald Trump even when they try.”
The Orange Man has replaced the Boogie Man in the small brains and low IQs possessing ALL the Lefties. Freaking hilarious.
Democrats have NOTHING POSITIVE to offer Americans and don’t have a leg to stand on. The only things keeping them from falling over themselves are HYPOCRISY, CORRUPTION, LIES, SCANDALS, WASTE FRAUD AND ABUSE,AND SICK PERVERSIONS. These are the legs, props, and volumes of bitching, whining, moaning, groaning, and doom and gloom, along with their America-LAST, Illegals-FIRST ideology that literally keeps them ‘vertical’.
There was a time when although members of the two parties would disagree strongly on domestic issues they would all stand together and support the President’s actions regarding foreign issues. The Democrats have thrown that long standing tradition out the window. Had the Democrats had their way and allowed Iran to produce a nuclear weapon, Iran would have obliterated Israel. Today’s Democrats are the same as the liberals in the 1930’s and 1940’s who steadfastly opposed getting involved in WWII until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Iran’s mullahs have hated America since the Shah departed and has killed and maimed hundreds of Americans. Finally we have a President who is not going to take it any more.
Democrats are despicable people…..yet keep winning elections.
Let’s be real and use less words…….”DEMOCRATS REEK” does it.
The problem is Democrats in Congress are victims of TDS. What they spout is misinformation and misinterpretation and very far from reality. Trump and Hegseth have plans and objectives and are not into a ground war. .Schumer and Jeffries make themselves look like Anti American spouting their lies and refusal to acknowledge the Iran situation is well run, ahead of schedule, and eliminating the bad guys in Iran one by one as well as Iran’s ability to make war.,
Unfortunately the Democrat Party is no longer a Party for the American people, nor a Party for America, The Constitution, Christianity, America’s Foundational Christian Faith and Principles, Law-and-Order, Peace, Love, Unity, Freedom and the Pursuit-of-Happiness,etc… Satan is the father of this new Democrat Party for sure! I would that we all come together, working out our differences, however, what does Light have in common with Darkness, Truth with Lying, Christianity with Atheism, Holiness with unholiness, etc…!?! Unless the Democrats repent there’s no hope of Unification because of the Democrats god (Satan) they serve with their whole heart: mind, body and soul!
When Congress holds up funding for Homeland Security, ALL CONGRESSIONAL PAYCHECKS SHOULD BE HELD UP AS WELL!!
When Fetterman was elected I never would have believed that he would be the voice of reason in the Democrat party. He has definitely proved me wrong, and I am glad to admit that
President Trump and our US Military are doing the job that needs to be DONE! YES, unfortunately that means that our brave American men and women of the military are put in harms way! My Dad was one of them in Germany during WWII and spent the last 18 month in German POW camps and boxcars! He had PTSD (not even known or named then) until 1995 when his heart gave out! He would be ashamed of what the Democrats have done, allowed, or have become in OUR Country! GOD BLESS AND BE WITH OUR US MILITARY AND THEIR FAMILIES
I am ashamed of the childish antics portrayed by the Democratic Party. I think President Kennedy has turned over in his grave several times hearing the words that come out of some of the mouths of the Democrats. If not for the critical thinking of some of them such as Sen. Fetterman, I would think all is lost. I believe that TDS syndrome is a real thing just as OCD, Anxiety and Anasognosia are. The remedy is DGT… Democrat Group Therapy. I feel that President Trump is doing a good job at protecting Americans, and by the looks of the news reports, the Iranian people are happy that Trump intervened. Too many Iranian people were killed for nothing less than protesting. Iran should never have been refunded sanction money by Obama and Biden admins to be able to purchase nuclear materials. The Iranian people needed help and I am proud to know that the US President cared enough to help. I feel safer too, knowing that much of the Iranian arsenal of nuclear weapons have been cancelled!
I stand w Trump. Schumer needs to retire. He is only looking to retain his seat. ???? Jefferies ? Well duhh…….
The Democratic Party are enemies and need to pay for their treason !
With all this hate going on against Trump, going on 10 years, who is paying for all this ? Seems the brain dead taxpayer would wake up and impeach all these traitors. Last I knew we are a democracy where majority wins . Just like how Biden won office. There’s a reason why the leftists are fighting against us, remember when Trump said I’m draining the swamp ? That was the key words that meant he was going to expose and hold accountable these leftist corrupt traitors. They themselves are doing a pretty good job showing who they really are. Hopefully he’ll succeed. People wake up !
I have been thinking that when the New Congress is seated every year the first order of business should be a preliminary exam on the Constitution. Everyone has to take it. No exclusions. If a certain grade number is not reached some tutoring may be needed. I say this because it is apparent to me that these people do not understand their jobs. They are writing laws without making sense. Bring laws to the floor to be voted on. Our senators do not know how to do that because of the leaders who do the talking. STOP TALKING……GET THE JOB DONE!!! MAGA MAGA MAGA
Yep.