It's a Shame

It's a shame that President Trump attacked Syria yesterday.  The action that the President took yesterday (cruise missile attack on a Syria air base) was punitive.  President Trump punished the Syrians and President Assad for using chemical weapons in an attack on a small village a few days ago.  Since we are not at war with Syria the attack last night was illegal and unethical.  Illegal because the President is only allowed to engage in hostilities when the people have declared war.  Unethical because the action suggests that "might makes right" and " the ends justify the means".  Syria and Assad were never given due process of law which is something that we are supposed to revere in this country.  Another pressure on President Trump, and perhaps the real shame, is precedent.  Many other presidents have used military force without a declaration of war including former president Ronald Reagan.  A retired Lt. Colonel that was a guest on a talk show says that President Trump is authorized by article 2 of the constitution and by precedent.  The following is a quote from article 2 section 2.1 of the U.S. constitution:  "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."  Further from Wikipedia:  "The President is the military's commander-in-chief; however Article One gives Congress and not the President the exclusive right to declare war."  And:  "But what the framers actually meant by that clause was that once war has been declared, it was the President’s responsibility as commander-in-chief to direct the war. Alexander Hamilton spoke in such terms when he said that the president, although lacking the power to declare war, would have “the direction of war when authorized or begun.” The president acting alone was authorized only to repel sudden attacks (hence the decision to withhold from him only the power to “declare” war, not to “make” war, which was thought to be a necessary emergency power in case of foreign attack)."  It is clear from the above that the Lt Colonel was wrong.