Issues Under Fire: What Happened in Niger? We Have a Right to Know!

 

Issues Under Fire: What Happened in Niger? We have a Right to Know!

Now that the dust has begun to settle over "45's" latest lie, we can get a clearer view of the lack of command, control and competence coming out of the White House. If "45" wasn't so hellbent on destroying the legacy, image and popularity of Barack Obama, by telling the bald faced lie that his predecessor never called or wrote Gold-Star families, we wouldn't be asking questions like: what the hell went wrong in Niger? what were U.S. forces doing there? how many more operations like this are being conducted around the world? And most importantly, who authorizes them?

Yes, it was simply one of "45's" off the cuff slanders intended to denigrate and belittle the former president, that triggered a backlash that took on a life of its own. When the dustup escalated between Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, "45" and White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly , even casual observers began paying attention. The more coverage the dustup got, the more people wanted to know about the dead soldiers and what happened to them. With few answers coming from the White House, some began wondering if the administration even had a clue. It wouldn't be the first time.

Since it's been widely reported that "45" has transferred substantially more power and responsibility for fighting the global war on terror to the pentagon than previous administrations, this might explain why the White House appears out of the loop. When the Congresswoman called the Niger incident "45's" Benghazi, the White House had no clear response other than an investigation was ongoing. When Senator John McCain demanded more than a press statement, the pentagon began scrambling for answers. And that's when the pesky issue of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorist , aka the AUMF, reared its complicated head again.

If you don't know what an AUMF is, don't feel bad, most don't. In short, the AUMF provides legal justification for the United States to conduct military operations anywhere in the world to confront a terrorist threat. This includes drone strikes and special operations in nations that haven't even agreed to a U.S. military presence within their borders. By granting itself such broad powers, one needn't posses a vivid imagination to envision the United States pissing off a lot of people when things don't go according to plan. Hence, the questions: WTF is going on and who the hell is in charge? But given the fact that "45" is unlikely to ever acknowledge making a mistake, you can consider this a rhetorical question.

Bottom line: It's unfortunate, but if "45" wasn't so pathetically petty, always sweating the small stuff, refusing to let anything go, having to get the last word, or tweet in his case, we may never have started asking the right questions to fully understand why four U.S. soldiers lost their lives in Niger. We may still have been kept in the dark about where U.S. soldiers are deployed around the world, as well as why and for what purpose. We should learn something from this tragedy. Otherwise, how will we ever know what they really died for? Podcast below.