How should the Democrats respond to Trump’s war crimes?

Trump’s threat to destroy power plants if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t opened by tomorrow, which obviously it won’t be, is an even more unambiguous war crime than the general attack on Iran, which is definitely a war crime as well, but there’s slightly more wiggle room from a legal perspective if you want to make some bullshit argument about “imminent threat.” The threat to bomb civilian infrastructure doesn’t even have that transparent fig leaf of pseudo-justification.

The Democrats’ response to this:

Tim Kaine, a Democratic senator who serves on the armed services committee, urged Trump to “please dial back the rhetoric”. Also speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Kaine said Trump’s language was “embarrassing and juvenile” and raised the risk for US service members.

That’s totally pathetic, but on the other hand Tim Kaine.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s rant resembled that of “an unhinged madman”. He wrote on X: “Happy Easter, America. As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media.

“He’s threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better.”

OK that’s not terrible, but how about some specific threats of actual consequences, such as we’re going to form a blue ribbon commission chaired by Merrick Garland to figure out if there may be some procedural improprieties of some kind here?

This is better:

Bernie Sanders, an independent US senator, called it “dangerous and mentally unbalanced”. He said on X: “One month after starting the war in Iran, this is the statement of the President of the United States on Easter Sunday. These are the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual. Congress has got to act NOW. End this war.”

Senator Chris Murphy also called it completely unhinged. He wrote on X: “If I were in Trump’s Cabinet, I would spend Easter calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment. This is completely, utterly unhinged. He’s already killed thousands. He’s going to kill thousands more.”

Neither of these senators are part of the party leadership however. (Yes I know Bernie isn’t even a Democrat. I also realize the 25th amendment is completely useless in this context, as is the impeachment power for that matter. Nice Constitution you’ve got there).

The best response I’m. aware of is unfortunately from freelance lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene:

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former staunch ally turned Trump critic, said everyone in the Trump administration who claims to be a Christian needs to “beg forgiveness from God” and intervene in the president’s “madness”.

In a lengthy post on X, the former Republican congresswoman wrote: “I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit. I’m not defending Iran but let’s be honest about all of this.”

She went on: “The Strait is closed because the US and Israel started the unprovoked war against Iran based on the same nuclear lies they’ve been telling for decades, that any moment Iran would develop a nuclear weapon.

“You know who has nuclear weapons? Israel. They are more than capable of defending themselves without the US having to fight their wars, kill innocent people and children, and pay for it. Trump threatening to bomb power plants and bridges hurts the Iranian people, the very people Trump claimed he was freeing.”

I’d like to see Newsom or Pritzker or AOC out there saying straightforwardly that their presidential administration will prosecute Trump as a war criminal, and make sure he spends the rest of his life in prison. This war is extremely unpopular, it’s getting more so, and mewling about the War Powers Act is pretty weak tea when the Commander in Chief of our War Fighters sounds like William Calley on a meth jag (Yes I know there was a lot of support for Calley. That was 55 years ago, and we’re younger than that now).