Both of Turlock’s representatives in Congress called the world a safer place after joint U.S. and Israeli military operations killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — but their support for President Donald Trump diverged from there.
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-El Dorado Hills) heralded Trump as the sole reason for the potential regime change in Iran, while Rep. Adam Gray (D-Merced) reminded the president that it is Congress’ responsibility to declare war.
McClintock represents the 5th Congressional District, while Gray represents the 13th.
“It appears that the day of deliverance for the long-suffering Iranian people has finally arrived, and that the world will soon be rid of the most malignant regime on the planet,” McClintock told a crowd at the Lincoln-Reagan Dinner on Saturday night at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds. “There is one reason this has happened and his name is Donald J. Trump. What a stark contrast to the craven years of Obama and Biden. Time and again, when resistance to the despotic Iranian regime was about to boil over, Obama and Biden sided with the dictators.”
Gray was less effusive in his praise for the White House.
“For decades, the (Khamenei) regime in Iran has oppressed its own people and funded terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah that have destabilized the Middle East and threatened our allies,” said Gray. “At the same time, the Constitution is clear: Congress carries the solemn responsibility to declare war. The President must present a clear strategy and defined objectives to the American people, through Congress, before the United States is drawn further into another conflict in the region. We cannot repeat the mistakes of past Middle East interventions by placing American service members in harm’s way without a coherent plan and a defined end state.”
Meanwhile, McClintock’s Democratic challenger, Michael Masuda, came out fully against the attack, and said McClintock had “abandoned his Constitutional duty.”
“This administration, supported by Congressman Tom McClintock, is pursuing a dangerous and incoherent foreign policy that threatens to embroil the United States in yet another Middle Eastern war,” said Masuda, a former employee at the U.S. State Department. “As a Foreign Affairs Officer, I saw first-hand the power of competent diplomacy aimed at preserving peace rather than promoting war. The administration should be exhausting every diplomatic avenue to ensure regional stability, protect Americans and allies in the region, and prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The people of California's 5th District deserve a representative who prioritizes peace and security, not someone who rubber-stamps dangerous and unconstitutional military adventurism.”
Efforts to reach Gray’s Republican challengers — former Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, and businessman Vin Kruttiventi — for their position on the conflict were unsuccessful.
Israel said it launched airstrikes against Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research site on Tuesday, and Iran struck back against Israel and across the Gulf region, targeting U.S. embassies and disrupting energy supplies and travel.
Four days into a war that Trump suggested would last several weeks or perhaps longer, nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran, including some Trump said he had considered as possible future leaders of the country.
Trump on Tuesday seemed to downplay chances of the war ending Iran’s theocratic rule, saying that “someone from within” the Iranian regime might be the best choice to take power once the U.S.-Israel campaign is finished.
“Saturday, we celebrated in same location — at the intersection of Countryside (Drive) and Monte Vista (Avenue) — with music and dancing and sweets,” said Robert David, a member of Turlock’s Assyrian community who has organized local protests against Khamenei’s regime. “We were very happy with what happened. He was sucking the blood out of everybody in that country.”
David is hopeful that Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s toppled shah, can be installed as the Iranian leader.
“Pahlavi is saying there should be good friendship with the U.S. and Israel,” said David, a native of Tehran, Iran’s capital. “It would mean freedom for the country, and safety and security for the neighbors in the region and the whole world.”
Speaking Tuesday from the Oval Office, Trump said Pahlavi is not someone that his administration has considered in depth to take over.
As far as possible leaders inside Iran, “the people we had in mind are dead,” Trump said. “I guess the worst case would be do this, and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen.”
Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. It’s only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.
According to reporting by Politico, the House is expected to take up a war powers resolution on Thursday that calls for an end to hostilities in Iran within 30 days, unless Congress authorizes the use of force or makes a declaration of war. Legislation by Reps. Thomas Cassie (R-Kentucky) and Ro Khanna (D-California) would require an immediate withdrawal of troops.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story,
