Letters to the Editor: Trump’s careless choices in Iraq-Iran morass

Iraq-Iran morass

The past two or three weeks have shown the United States to be a rogue player in the Persian Gulf. President Donald Trump has boastfully admitted that he ordered our military to kill Iran’s leading General Qassem Soleimani, who himself had led the fight against Iraq — and bragged about it publicly. Trump’s actions, however, violate every norm of international behavior.

This has led the Iraqi government to potentially insist that U.S. troops leave Iraq — though it is not yet clear if or when that will happen. Our allies are puzzled and quietly furious. Our Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made a fool of himself and confused our allies. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has contradicted what the defense department memos have said. Any strategies of this administration for its aggressive approach have certainly not been evident before the attack or now afterwards.

The Iraqis have asked our country to make plans to remove our military from Iraq, which would open that country to the full subversive efforts of the many Iranian proxy groups within Iraq itself. The results would be disastrous for the free world as well as for the United States. A miracle aside, there appears little the United States can do. The forthcoming Trump impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate, therefore, is fraught with danger and is vitally important in getting the Trump hand away from the tiller of the American ship of state before it finds itself being battered out of recognition by the rocks of history and carelessness. Our children and grandchildren do not deserve this.

John D. Stempel, Lexington, former political counselor in the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and director of UK’s Patterson School of Diplomacy, 1993-2004

Impartiality a duty

News reports indicate that the U.S. Senate majority party is planning to carry out a sham impeachment “trial” with no witnesses, where the goal is to “be in lockstep with the White House” to achieve “a rapid acquittal.”

Now, I’m not a lawyer, but those phrases do not in any way represent what would constitute a fair trial. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul should remember that as jurors, they will be required to swear an oath to be impartial in the case.

The country is filled with partisanship, which is exactly why George Washington warned the country against political parties in his farewell address. I urge my senators to read that address and to actually put their country before their political party by living up to their constitutional duty to be fair and impartial jurors.

Jean Amick, Lexington

Let Trump speak

Republicans, please allow President Donald Trump to have a fair Senate impeachment trial. Please allow him to present documents and call witnesses like former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and associate director for national security programs Michael Duffey to demonstrate his innocence. Allow the president to speak on his behalf to show the world that he is innocent. Please also allow Democrats to present whatever meager, miserable, miserly, and paltry documents and witnesses they may have.

Republicans, please, please give Trump the chance to defend himself in the coming Senate impeachment trial.

Richard Knittel, Versailles

Plea to McConnell

The House has impeached President Donald Trump — only the third time in our history. Now it is up to the Senate to conduct the trial to either remove the president of the United States or determine he is not guilty.

The House heard many witnesses but there are those who should have been heard by the House. The Senate should make certain that full transparency happens and should call additional witnesses who apparently have much to say about the details surrounding the impeachment findings.

Sen. Mitch McConnell has already stated that he is not impartial, which goes against the oath that he must take to be impartial. Perhaps he will think about the importance of this time in our history and will work for our democracy rather than for Trump. Our founding fathers set out three branches of government, all independent of each other, and that independence is on the line.

I contacted his office and asked that he remain impartial, call additional witnesses during the trial, and provide transparency in the Senate impeachment process. We the people must have our voices heard.

Doug Price, Cynthiana