2020 NM Senatorial race: on War & Peace

Gavin Clarkson: Get out of Afghanistan; stay out of Syria

A: President Trump seems to have the right instincts here. We need to enforce international norms and keep beating back ISIS, but we need to stay out of this civil war, which has become a regional quagmire for Iran and Russia. Let them sink their blood and treasure into it.

Q: In Afghanistan?

A: Get out. Restoring constitutional checks and balances means Congress must reassert its exclusive powers over the extended deployment of our armed services. Congress should debate our continued presence in Afghanistan, which was supposed to have ended under the last administration.

Gavin Clarkson: Need evidence & Congressional approval to trike North Korea

A: Only if there is incontrovertible evidence that an attack on the United States is imminent. The President should be able to make that call if it is a matter of urgent necessity, but otherwise the Constitutions clearly entrusts the war power to Congress.