It’s rare that a Democratic member of Congress, in the middle of a re-election campaign, finds himself in more hot water with Democrats than Republicans.
But Greg Landsman, Ohio’s 1st District congressman, has been dealing with exactly that. Since the outset of President Trump’s war on Iran, he has been the target of anger and outrage on social media since his office released this statement on Feb. 28, which read, in part:
“The U.S. is destroying Iran’s missiles and bombs to stop them from taking more lives.
"These strikes are targeting military infrastructure — with warnings to Iranian civilians to take shelter away from these military targets.
"If it wasn’t for the regime, the region may very well know peace.
"For decades, the regime has caused mayhem and bloodshed through Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen — all while the people of Iran have suffered.
"When the Iranian people stood up to protest the regime last month, the regime murdered tens of thousands of its own people.”
Since then, Landsman — who is seeking a third term in a district heavily gerrymandered against him — has been trying to explain that his support for Trump’s war is not unlimited. In fact, he says the expiration date is approaching soon.
In an interview with WVXU, Landsman said his patience with Trump is wearing thin.
“I don’t trust him; I have never trusted him,” Landsman said of Trump. “From a communications standpoint, he has been all over the place in trying to justify this war.”
“Iran is definitely a threat,” Landsman said. “They clearly want to enrich enough plutonium to make nuclear weapons.”
Last June, after Trump conducted a bombing campaign against Iran, the president said Iran’s nuclear weapons program had been “completely and totally obliterated.”
Apparently not.
Iran has been developing nuclear weapons in underground facilities, Landsman said.
“You don’t go underground if it is only a civilian program,” Landsman told WVXU. “You only do that if you want to build nuclear bombs.”
Landsman said the only person involved in the Iran war who seems to know what he is doing is Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
“General Caine has been clear about the objectives,” Landsman said. “The general is a very trustworthy guy.”
Landsman, who is Jewish, said those who think his initial support for the war in Iran is because Trump seemed to be acting at the bidding of Israel are just wrong.
“That’s just not how our military works,” Landsman said. “I get the frustration with [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. I’m not a fan of Benjamin Netanyahu. I’ve told him that to his face.”
Recently, Landsman was one of only four Democrats in the House to vote against a War Powers Resolutions Act to halt the president's powers on Iran, which guaranteed it would fail in the House, and it did.
Even U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, the ultra-conservative congressman from the district adjacent to Landsman, voted for the resolution.
The resolution was weak, Landsman said.
“I’m going to introduce my own war powers resolution on March 24,” Landsman said. “It will give the administration 30 days to finish the operation, and no boots on the ground. If they need more time, they will have to get a vote from Congress.”
Whether his support for the war hurts him in his re-election bid remains to be seen, of course.
He has a primary opponent, Damon Lynch IV, who told WVXU he is opposes the war with Iran “totally.”
“We should not be funding the Israelis’ war,” Lynch said. “We should not lose a single troop in this.”
Lynch would represent an alternative for disgruntled Democrats, but there would be little hope of him winning in a vast, gerrymandered district which now tilts Republican and where he would have very little name recognition outside of Cincinnati.
For Democrats, it just may be one of those situations where you decide you can’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
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