Dem
47
GOP
53
Which Democrats are the best voices to attack Donald Trump on his (possible forever) war of choice in Iran? Combat veterans, of course, and Democrats have two winners to go with, both just coincidentally likely 2028 presidential candidates going for a test drive. The most visible ones are the two Arizona senators, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly. In the 2 weeks since the Iran War started, Gallego has made a dozen media appearances, including some popular podcasts. He was an infantryman in Iraq in 2005 and knows something about forever wars. He talked about dodging bullets, IEDs, RPGs, clearing towns, losing friends, and not understanding what the goal was. He is very critical of the administration, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio is doing "CYA." He also said there is no clear plan or idea of what victory would look like.
The other Arizonan, Kelly, is a retired Navy captain (equivalent to a colonel in the Army) and astronaut who flew combat missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and later piloted multiple space shuttle missions. He has also been all over the media saying: "American taxpayers are getting a really bad deal in the war with Iran." He has blasted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for saying the U.S. would offer "no quarter" to its enemies. That actually has a specific meaning, namely, if an enemy soldier tried to surrender, the "no quarter" order would mean killing him rather than taking him prisoner. That would violate international law, so the order from the Secretary would be illegal and it would be a crime for a soldier to obey it.
The group VoteVets Action is holding a series of town halls with veterans and others who did national security work, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Pete Buttigieg. Gallego is going to do one later this month. These also serve to raise the profile for potential 2028 presidential (and vice presidential) candidates. Having a military or security background could be a plus in 2028, especially against a Republican with such a background. J.D. Vance, in particular, served in the Marine Corps in Iraq for 4 years. However, unlike Gallego and Kelly, both of whom were in actual combat roles, Vance was a military journalist and photographer and didn't face enemy fire. Rubio is not a veteran and his "war" experience will be entirely based on his work as secretary of state. If he negotiates a good, popular, and lasting ending to the war in Iran, that will work to his credit. However, if there is an ambiguous and messy withdrawal with the Iranian regime stronger than ever, Rubio won't be able to play that card. (V)