After news broke of the drone attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan near the Syrian border, several congressional Republicans clamored for war with Iran.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) begged the Biden administration to strike targets inside Iran.

“The Biden Administration can take out all the Iranian proxies they like, but it will not deter Iranian aggression. I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” Graham said.

“The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force. Until they pay a price with their infrastructure and their personnel, the attacks on U.S. troops will continue,” he added.

“Hit Iran now. Hit them hard,” Graham ended his long-winded, hawkish tirade.

Graham faced severe criticism for his remarks:

Graham wasn’t the lone Republican senator begging for war against Iran.

“Target Tehran,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

“The only answer to these attacks must be a devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East. Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley didn’t sound any better than the hawkish lawmakers.

She said Biden “should retaliate with the full force of American strength.”

“As a military spouse, my heart breaks for the families who lost loved ones. This shows the barbaric nature of our enemies in Iran. And it shows that they would not be attacking our troops if Joe Biden weren’t so weak in his treatment of Iran. We should retaliate with the full force of American strength. It’s the only way to prevent further war. If we do not, these attacks will only continue,” Haley said.

Haley faced harsh criticism for the saber-rattling rhetoric.

Per Axios:

“The head of the snake is Iran,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and former Air Force brigadier general, told Axios.

Bacon noted that the administration “keeps conducting strikes on the proxy forces that are armed and often directed by Iran,” but “Iran could care a less if we attack the proxy forces.”

“We should find smart Iranian targets that are low risk of our aircraft getting shot down and teach Iran a lesson,” he said.

Biden would likely face an outcry from many members of his own party if he retaliated to the degree some Republicans are advocating for.

Lawmakers across the political spectrum, and progressives in particular, have been increasingly critical of the administration’s broad interpretation of executive war powers in recent weeks.

“There is no ‘Iran is bad’ exception to the Constitution. If we’re going to war, Congress must declare it,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) commented.

Zero Hedge noted:

Of course, the neocons have had their sites set on Tehran and hoped-for regime change there going all the way back to the 1990’s, as is evident from the writings of PNAC crowd (Project for the New American Century, which went on to largely staff GW Bush’s cabinet).

Thankfully, Trump’s initial statement did not echo the hawkish neocon line of some among the more outspoken GOP Congressmen…

But the reality is that the years-long US occupation of Syria, which happens to largely located in the oil and gas producing parts of the country, have left US forces as ‘sitting ducks’ yet without any clear identifiable mission or goal. The Biden administration knows this very well, having been quoted as saying the same merely a week ago in The New York Times.

Read President Trump’s full statement on the drone attack below:

The drone attack on a U.S. Military Installation in Jordan, killing 3 American Servicemembers, and wounding many more, marks a horrible day for America. My most profound sympathies go to the Families of the Brave Servicemembers we have lost. I ask all Americans to join me in praying for those who have been wounded. This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender.

Three years ago, Iran was weak, broke, and totally under control. Thanks to my Maximum Pressure policy, the Iranian Regime could barely scrape two dollars together to fund their terrorist proxies. Then Joe Biden came in and gave Iran billions of dollars, which the Regime has used to spread bloodshed and carnage throughout the Middle East. This attack would NEVER have happened if I was President, not even a chance – Just like the Iranian-backed Hamas attack on Israel would never have happened, the War in Ukraine would never have happened, and we would right now have Peace throughout the World. Instead, we are on the brink of World War 3.

This terrible day is yet more proof that we need an immediate return to PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, so that there will be no more chaos, no more destruction, and no more loss of precious American lives. Our Country cannot survive with Joe Biden as Commander in Chief.

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