If Obama was doing something, the Iranians would not be uncompiling the code on that plane.
It’s an American plane, brought down by hostile action.
That is an act of war.
"We just need to talk to the Iranians..."
That is an act of war.
In their air space.
Which makes it an act of self-defense.
“That is an act of war.”
A US military drone operating in a foreign nation’s airspace without the permission of that nation could certainly be considered an act of war.
Unfortunately the US is the aggressor in this situation. We invaded Iran’s airspace, with a military aircraft. If it is in their airspace, without their permission, they have the right to shoot it down. I would expect the US to take the same action if an Iranian drone was found in US airspace.
Once again the US is involved in military action without following the requirements of the Constitution. If there is a reason to be at war with Iran the Constitution clearly requires the President to go to Congress and ask for a Declaration of War. If Congress votes yes we go to war, if Congress votes no, the President cannot initiate hostile action against other countries. Flying military aircraft over a sovereign nation’s airspace without permission is hostile action. It is also unconstitutional for the President to take such action without a Declation of War.
Over the past 60 years the US has killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of people and consumed trillions of dollars of taxpayer money in unconstitutional wars initiated by Presidents acting on their own without the formal Declaration of War required by the Constitution. The over reach by the unchecked imperial executive branch has reached the point where it now claims the unconstitutional power to declare US citizens “terrorists” in the homeland and deny them their constitutionally protected, God given, liberties without due process of law.
Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somolia, Libya are just some of the unconstitutional uses of American armed forces over the past 60 years. All of these hostile actions, involving the US military invading sovereign territory, may have been noble causes essential to the defense of the homeland. If these costly applications of military force were justifiable, they could have withstood the scrutiny of sober debate and vote in Congress prior to being initiated.
War is a serious matter and the founders were wise to require the chief executive to go to secure the affirmative vote of the representatives of the people before committing the blood and property of the people to foreign adventures, the founders also understood the seriousness of invading a sovereign nation. It pains me to see our modern nation so eager to ignore the Constitution and commit our military around the globe in aggressive actions at the whim of the executive branch. Our reputation around the world as an imperialist aggressor nation is well deserved.
George Bush going to war in Iraq to overthrow Saddam and create a “democratic” state is the equivalent of Iran invading the US to create an Islamic republic or China invading the US to create a communist dictatorship.
I have no doubt Iran is an enemy of the US and it may have the intent to do this nation harm. If there is imminent threat, the President can go to Congress, show the evidence, and ask for a formal war declaration. If he isn’t following the Constitution, the threat must not be serious.
Don’t forget, the US military has shot down an unarmed Iranian civilian airliner without provocation, killing over 100 of its citizens. if we are justified in shooting down a civilian airliner in international airspace, perhaps the Iranians should be excused for downing a military aircraft invading their airspace. Going back further in history the US government in the 1950’s facilitated the overthrow of the lawful government in Iran to put the Shah on the throne. Iran has historical reason to view the US as an threat.
Returning to the Constitution, imagine if Jimmy Carter had responded to the takeover of the US embassy in Terhan by telling the Iranians quietly through diplomatic channels if the didn’t release the hostages immediately he would go to Congress and request a Declaration of War. Had he done so I suspect the Iranians would have backed down. If not, the invasion of the embassy was an act of war in that embassy grounds are considered to be an extension of the guest nation’s territory under international law. If Congress then voted a formal war declaration the Iranians would have faced justified military action to repatriate the hostages or extract revenge in the event the Iranians harmed them. This lawful exercise of US power would have sent a very powerful message to Iran and the rest of the world. It might actually have prevented the first Gulf War as Saddam would not hav underestimated the will of the US to fight in the region.
For those who argue Iran is a threat and we are justified on that basis to use our military capability against them at the whim of the President, I ask why not Venezuela, or Cuba? They are much closer to the homeland. Why not China? China is a future threat, they’ve made no secret of their intent to defeat us. Plus China has been engaging in a damaging trade war with us for 20+ years, is engage in espionage and cyber warfare everyday.
It is unfortunate the US lost an intact drone. However the downing of that drone was not an act of war against the US. The US invaded sovereign airspace with a military aircraft. That nation was justified in in removing the invader through whatever means it chose.