As we noted yesterday, Thomas Massie has introduced articles of impeachment upon Pete Hegseth.
They actually stand a chance of passing.
They provide, in relevant part:
Today In Wyoming's History: September 16, 1940. Conscription starts and the National Guard mobilized.
President Trump’s administration is planning to sell to Israel a munitions package worth $2.8 including 2,000-pound bombs which will be funded by a Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant.
That's right. The heavily indebted United States will be spending money it doesn't have for Israel's military.
One thing that this war has caused and is causing is a rethinking of the US relationship with Israel. It's long overdue.
The common line is that "Israel is our only ally in the Middle East". Israel isn't a formal US ally at all. Indeed, in terms of formal allies, the only Middle Eastern one we have is Turkey, not Israel.
The US has a close relationship to Israel for historic and demographic reasons. The US was horrified to a greater extent than any other nation to what happened to Jews during World War Two and reacted by giving its strong support to the establishment of Israel, ignoring the fact that importing thousands of immigrants into a land already occupied by somebody else would result in problems.
Put another way, if Europe demanded that thousands of Mexican immigrants be allowed into Texas to create a new country, we'd freak out.
Added to that, the US has a substantial Jewish minority, although it has not been and has never been huge. It's about 2.4% of the population today. Somewhat ignored in this is that the US also has notable population of Middle Eastern immigrants, most of whom up until a couple of decades ago were Lebanese and Syrian Christians and Armenians. Perhaps because they were all members of Apostolic Christian faiths, that was just easy to ignore in some ways. It's France, for instance, that has traditionally defended the rights of the Lebanese. The US once concerned itself with the plight of Armenians, but that's been a long time ago. To some extent, perhaps because they were a more distinct minority, Jewish populations in the US have tended to be relatively better organized.
Anyhow, almost from day 1 Americans really bought off on the concept of the establishment of Israel being a really noble cause. In my household growing up I remember my mother feeling that way, although my father had a much more nuanced opinion. The plight of Arabs in the same region was generally ignored by Americans up until relatively recently, and only because populations of Palestinian and other Arabs have immigrated into the US. They're still a much smaller percentage of the population than Jewish Americans are.
Added to that, Islam has tended to really freak Americans out, and for good reason.
Israel has very divided politics and is going through something akin to what the US is, with the current Israeli government being, in my view, extreme. Nobody has ever stated it, but it seems relatively clear that there are those in Israel who would outright force Palestinians out of what had been Mandatory Palestine. There are Americans who have equally extreme views about modern Israel and its place in the world from a religious perspective.
Whatever brought the current Israeli government to power, it's also clear that there are huge numbers of Israelis who are horrified by recent events and would take Israel in another direction.
At this point, I'm with those who, like my father so many decades ago, take a much more nuanced view on Israel. Like Ukrainian born Argentinian-Israeli author Jacobo Timerman, I view Israel as a Middle Eastern state that has to learn to live in that neighborhood. It also, at this point, has to learn to get by on its own. It can build its own weapons and pay for them itself.
For that matter, while its a topic for another thread, the US wasn't a serious supplier of arms around the world until World War Two. It needs to stop being one now. Selling arms to some countries is, okay, in my view, but not to as many as we do, and for cash, not best wishes.
I'll note that it is interesting that a lot of our former arms client states have stepped out on its own in recent years. South Korea, for example, manufactures its own armored vehicles, artillery and small arms. Israel does produce some weapons of its own, but not all that many. I'm not for selling them arms anymore.
When people are killed by American arms, no matter who uses them, we're implicated.
Back to the illegal war in the Middle East that Israel got us into.
A resolution requiring the US to get out of that war passed the House yesterday.
H. CON. RES. 93
Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESApril 28, 2026Mr. Moulton (for himself, Mr. Crow, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Auchincloss, Ms. Goodlander, Mr. Vindman, and Mr. Scott of Virginia) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONDirecting the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran, other than those elements of the Armed Forces that may be necessary to defend the United States or an ally or partner of the United States from imminent attack provided that the President complies fully with the requirements of section 5(b) the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(b)) with respect to any such use of the Armed Forces, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific congressional authorization for use of military force against Iran.
It's not going to go anywhere, but it's not irrelevant. At least some are speaking up and standing out.
And some who claim to adhere to certain values should take note. In the Particular Judgement Mike Johnson is going to have to explain supporting all this killing and standing with Israel isn't going to excuse it. But then Johnson will have a lot to answer for.
cont:
The Houthis shot down a Saudi F-15 with a domestically produced missile today.
cont:
And Mike Johnson sent the House home early to avoid the impeachment vote.
That'd suggest either there were enough votes to pass it, or there were Republican Congressmen afraid to go on record.
They won't be back until November 9. They'd only been working for seven days since they came back from their last recess.
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