Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bomb Syria.

No, I’m not slamming Trump on this, I agreed with him when he did it, and why, and I could see then, as well as now, all the positive results of the action, not just in the Mid East but in Asia and Europe as well.

But in the long term, this is just one more nail in the coffin of the idea that Congress should declare wars, not some kick-ass President. The legislative branch has been giving up this power, bit by bit and in a bipartisan manner, for decades now, mostly because it has lost the backbone to make hard decisions that might come back to haunt it on election day. They find it easier to pass the buck.

Obama learned that the hard way when he asked for clarification on the War Powers Act prior to his infamous “red line” decision after the previous Syrian nerve gas episode. You will recall Congress refused to consider it, by going on recess and scurrying home to do some fund raising instead. Trump realized he could not count on even a Republican Congressional majority to give him the authorization he needed in the short time he had available. His decision was the right one, at least for the short term.

But in the long term, its not going to be a good thing for this country if the Congress abdicates its authority to declare war because it doesn’t have the stones to make the hard decisions. Maybe it won’t be Trump, but sooner or later some cowboy President is going to get us into a rumble we haven’t thought through properly.

Again, I want to make clear that I still agree with Trump’s action, in spite of my second thoughts. In his place, I would have probably done the exact same thing, for the exact same reasons. But I can see how this could cost us dearly in the long run. Hopefully, we will get away with it this time, and avoid another Libya or another Iraq.

America has only one primary consideration when contemplating the trip-wire, pre-authorized use of armed force. We must be ready on a moment’s notice to protect American lives, and those of our allies. We have moral and treaty obligations. Long term policy interests and geopolitical strategy may also dictate the use of aggressive military power, but that is too big a decision to be made by one man, even if he acts from the purest of motives and with the best reason and counsel.

In spite of my hemming and hawing, and my usual Liberal hand-wringing and indecision, I do think I was wrong when I first called this one. As for Mr Trump, I’m willing to give him a pass this time. At least up to this point, he seems to be handling it right.