Senator Demands Oversight of Venezuelan Strikes, Not US Aid to Ukraine
Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) is deeply concerned about US military strikes off Venezuela's coast, claiming Congress is left 'in the dark' about the operation which has allegedly killed 32 people. (Axios, 10/25). Young, who believes 'Congress needs to go further' in asserting its war powers, finds it crucial for lawmakers to discuss these 'legal ramifications.' One might wonder if similar
congressional scruples were applied when, just days later, Young urged the President to 'send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine,' calling them a 'game-changer' and demanding more pressure on Russia. The immediacy of his concern for constitutional procedure seems to have a selective filter. So, military actions targeting Venezuela—a sovereign nation the US seeks to topple (Axios, 10/25)—require intense
congressional scrutiny. But escalating a proxy war in Ukraine with advanced weaponry? That's just good policy, apparently, and requires no similar legislative hand-wringing. It appears some 'conflicts' are worthy of constitutional debate, while others are simply geopolitical chess moves played with American taxpayer dollars and minimal P.R. oversight. The cognitive dissonance is palpable, or
perhaps more accurately, strategically deployed.