American leaders agree Soleimani was a bad man, disagree on risks

Here are some of the voices on the Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, who is blamed for orchestrating the killing of hundreds of American servicemen — and hundreds of thousands of others, including being the evil mastermind behind countless terrorist strikes in the Middle East. His death removes a powerful force for ill in the world. But the full repercussion of the American military’s targeted strike on him and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the man operationally behind the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, will not be known immediately.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Pentagon say the action, approved by President Donald Trump, was to deter imminent plans by Soleimani to attack American diplomats and service members throughout the region.

Quotes below, largely from members of the U.S. Senate, are from public statements (via Facebook, Twitter), the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and other publications:

“No American will mourn Qassem Soleimani’s passing. He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the region. He supported terror and sowed chaos… [However] the Administration’s statement says that its goal is to deter future attacks by Iran, but this action almost certainly will have the opposite effect. President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox.” — Former Vice-President Joe Biden, Democrat

“Gen. Soleimani has killed hundreds and hundreds of Americans, and was actively plotting more. This commander-in-chief … has an obligation to defend America by killing this bastard.” — Sen. Ben Sasse, Republican

“Major blow to Iranian regime that has American blood on its hands. Soleimani was one of the most ruthless and vicious members of the Ayatollah’s regime.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican

“Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans. But this reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict.” — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat

“As I have previously warned the Iranian government, they should not mistake our reasonable restraint in response to their previous attacks as weakness. The U.S. will always vigorously defend our interests and allies in the face of terrorist conduct and provocations.” — Sen. Jim Risch, Republican

“Trump promised to end endless wars, but this action puts us on the path to another one.” — Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democrat

“Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That’s not a question. The question is this — as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?” — Sen. Chris Murphy, Democat

“1. Soleimani wasn’t ‘assassinated’, he was killed on the battlefield during active operations. 2. He was in Iraq in violation of a 2007 UN Security Council travel ban 3. He spent the last few days coordinating imminent attacks against American citizens, allies & interests. 4. At the direction of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Soleimani was plotting a coup in Iraq. He was corrupting/threatening politicians, exploiting Iraq’s resources & bringing a large military force loyal to him, in an effort to make Iraq a platform to attack the U.S. & our allies… But some are so blinded by hatred of Trump that they argue he has done something sinister. It’s crazy. Total derangement.” — Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican

“No one should shed a tear over his death. The operation against Soliemani was conducted however without specific authorization or any advance notification or consultation of Congress. I am a member of the gang of eight, which is typically briefed in advance of operations of this level of significance. We were not.” — Sen. Chuck Schumer, Democrat

“The architect and chief engineer of the world’s most active state sponsor of terrorism has been removed from the battlefield at the hands of the United States military. No man alive was more directly responsible for the deaths of more American service members than Qassem Soleimani. For too long, this evil man operated without constraint, and countless innocents have suffered for it. Now, his terrorist leadership has been ended.” — Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican

Jon K. Rust is publisher of the Southeast Missourian.