Investigators from the OPCW have barely begun sifting through the evidence on the ground in Douma, but that hasn’t stopped the US, France and the UK from patting themselves on the back for a “job well done” after last night’s brutal bombing campaign in Damascus and Homs.
And true to form, President Donald Trump was up early Saturday (as he is most weekends) to fire off a gloating tweet about the coalition’s airstrikes, which purportedly targeted regime bases and facilities dedicated to the production of chemical weapons.
In a series of tweets, the president lauded the “perfectly executed strike last night” and offered a “thank you” to France and the UK for “their wisdom and the power of their fine Military.”
“A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”
And while Trump’s plan to eliminate some discretionary domestic spending from the “omnibus” spending bill passed last month has reportedly hit the rocks ahead of its formal release early next month, the president eagerly seized the opportunity to gloat about the passage of a bill that he had expressed major reservations about only weeks before.
“So proud of our great Military which will soon be, after the spending of billions of fully approved dollars, the finest our Country has ever had,” Trump tweeted.
So proud of our great Military which will soon be, after the spending of billions of fully approved dollars, the finest that our Country has ever had. There won’t be anything, or anyone, even close!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2018
A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2018
Of course, the president wasn’t the only US politician to applaud the “one-time” military intervention in Syria.
Sen. John McCain tweeted his approval: “I applaud the President for taking military action against the Assad regime and I am grateful to our British and French allies for joining us in this action…”
I applaud the President for taking military action against the Assad regime, and I am grateful to our British and French allies for joining us in this action. To succeed in the long run, we need a comprehensive strategy for Syria and the entire region. https://t.co/2xrHwVGYKK
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) April 14, 2018
Indeed, Trump has won McCain’s approval for what appears to be the first time since last year’s airstrike.
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, hardly a staunch opponent of interventionism, pointed out the hypocrisy embedded in Trump’s words.
A phrase indelibly associated with the Iraq War and inaccurate early declarations. Trump ran against the Iraq War https://t.co/mg4U1nGE8v
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 14, 2018
“Mission accomplished” indeed.
When a U.S. President starts announcing “Mission Accomplished” — that is the time to expect more war. #Syriawar #syria pic.twitter.com/KqPByNaxNM
— Alastair Williamson (@StockBoardAsset) April 14, 2018
