By Tom Wright

Iran has been at war with the United States and Israel for 47 years. At the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis in November 1979, Ruhollah Khomeini referred to the United States as the “Great Satan,” and Israel as the “Little Satan.” “Death to America,” usually followed the epithet. The Iranian Revolution displaced the Shah and established the Sharia Theocracy.

Since then, the Islamic Republic of Iran has worked to destabilize the Middle East by sponsoring insurgent organizations, including: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Houthis, the Axis of Resistance and numerous proxy forces and smaller regional militias. They have supplied funding, arms and explosives that have taken hundreds, perhaps thousands, of American lives and they have killed tens of thousands of their own citizens who want regime change or who violate Sharia religious law. According to a March 20-23 Fox News poll of 1001 registered voters, only 42% of Americans polled favor our attack on Iran – 77% of Republicans and 12% of Democrats.

To the Middle East, Iran’s goal has been to create a nuclear weapon, which caused President Trump to bomb Iranian nuclear sites last year and, recently, to join Israel in attacking military targets. In response, Iran has launched aerial bombardments on 14 regional nations. Iran’s Shiite brand of Islam is not shared by the country’s Suni Arab neighbors who see the Iranians as fundamentalist extremists.

To me, it is a no-brainer that their leaders and security forces are rogue actors. Yet, 38% of Americans feel Iran posed no immediate danger to the U.S., in opposition to Israeli intelligence information regarding American targets. Accusations have flown about President Trump violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Both the House and Senate have voted that challenge down.

Concerns still exist about a stated exit plan, which remains unclear. Iran’s military assets are being diminished and calls have been made to Iran’s military to end resistance. Since this latest action began, Iran’s Persian Gulf neighbors have been hit harder than Israel. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has defended itself against 2,200 missiles and drones. Along with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, UAE leaders do not want us to stop until Iran is no longer a threat to the region and the world. Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE Minister of State, holds firm that a rogue Iran cannot hold the world hostage on the price of oil by closing the Strait of Hormuz and funding the Houthis, who threaten to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, and continue to threaten its neighbors and much of Europe with long-range missiles.

I consider our attack on Iran as justified with worthy goals toward a lasting peace in the region. Most Iranians do not favor theocratic control and want Iran to return to Western values.

Nevertheless, the absolute hatred for President Trump is a powerful motivating force as demonstrated in the Republican/Democrat disparity in polling on the war. The congressional battles to fund Homeland Security and require voter I.D. are favored by most Americans, yet Democrats have resisted resist common sense solutions. Trump derangement syndrome has created four-hour lines in airports and favors illegal aliens over American citizens.

At home, I do not see a single congressional representative from New Mexico favoring our intervention in Iran. To the contrary, they have argued President Trump’s action is illegal, unconstitutional and reckless. Theirs is the standard Democrat Party objection to anything Trump does. As I look at our lineup of representatives, I do not see a foreign policy expert among them.

President Lincoln presided over a nation divided by moral and legal issues. Lincoln was a man with deep spiritual wisdom and his words should speak to us today. In his second inaugural address, he summoned us to bind our wounds, “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” These words are worthy advice for today, that we may be a nation undivided.

Charity and forgiveness have divine overtones and are not human traits easily practiced. Perhaps all of us, including our representatives, should look toward heaven and give thanks to God for allowing our country to be manifest in leadership for a peaceful and free world and beseech His guiding hand on the future.