Veteran Congressional Candidate Says Obama Wrong On Syria

As the war drums continue to beat louder and louder, dissent to the President’s war hungry intentions grow. This time, it’s not the anti-war left that has been Missing-In-Action since the 2008 election of Barack Obama. Retired U.S. Navy Captain Blaine Richardson, who is running for Congress in Maine’s Second District, has taken a firm stance opposing intervention in Syria.

As America continues to grow weary of war, Congress is faced with the task of reclaiming its lost responsibility. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution requires a declaration of war from Congress in order to enter a conflict, something that has not occurred since World War 2. Richardson, who has served in multiple conflicts, understands this.

In response to the possibility of yet another illegal conflict, he states in a campaign press release, “President Obama should not start a war on his own without getting a declaration of war from the Congress, as required by the United States Constitution. Not another American dollar should be spent on involvement in Syria.”

Senator Barack Obama agreed with Richardson in 2007, when he voiced disingenuous opposition to wars that weren’t his, stating “The President does not have the power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”

Now as President, Barack Obama has discarded these principles and what little understanding of the Constitution he had. He has ignored the requirements of the law, involved us in foreign conflicts without a declaration, and violated campaign promises to be different from the previous administration.

“As both a candidate for Congress and a Veteran of four American conflicts, I call on President Obama and his administration to stop all American involvement in Syria. Enough American resources have been spent on wars in the Middle East,” Richardson states, referring to his service history to solidify his background on the matter. “We have been tearing fathers, mothers, sons and daughters away from their families here in Maine and sending them to war in Afghanistan, while we are arming forces affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Syria. This foreign policy is not in the best interest of the citizens of Maine.”

The growing disconnect between the President and the people is further illustrated by the fact that Syrian rebels have been linked to terrorist activity. While the Administration may feel that sacrificing soldiers lives to assist an entity killing soldiers on another front is a pro-American policy, Richardson disagrees. “The President should have stopped American involvement in Syria when he found out that the Syrian rebels he is supporting are directly connected to Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that was responsible for killing 3,000 of our fellow Americans on September 11th, 2001”

Richardson is currently running in the Republican primary for Congress in the Second District against former State Treasurer and First District resident Bruce Poliquin. State Representative Alex Willette recently dropped out of the race, while failed 2012 congressional candidate Kevin Raye is considering another run.

Chris Dixon

About Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon is a libertarian-leaning writer and managing editor for The Liberty Conservative. In addition to his political writing, he also covers baseball for Cleat Geeks and enjoys writing on a number of other topics ranging on Medium.