# What if killing Soleimani was the right move? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 9, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193 "2020-01-09T22:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/141 "2020-01-13T07:00:28Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > So we shouldn’t have gone after Osama bin Laden? > > And I agree that we shouldn’t have invaded Iraq but if we were willing to leave it a smoldering mess after the invasion, it would be fine right now with a baathist government running the place without a Saddam and with a healthy respect for our ability to go in there and punish them at will. > > What dangers would we face that we wold not otherwise face by doing nothing? > > We can finance it with the oil we take from them, that will go a long way towards building the political will. > > I blame the US for overthrowing their democratically elected government and installing a shah but that was the cold war and we did a lot of really fucked up shit. > > But we are where we are. > > Regimes do not commit suicide out of desperation when there is an out. All they have to do is abandon the pursuit of a nuclear weapon. And accept the reality that their existence as a nominally sovereign nation is dependent upon the good will of the USA. How many other nations will come to the same conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/142 "2020-01-13T15:55:05Z")
Apparently Soleimani’s killing was a result of a sort of tripwire policy put in place seven months ago. > **[Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-authorized-soleimani-s-killing-7-months-ago-conditions-n1113271)** > > The timing raises new questions about the Trump administration's stated justification for taking out the top Iranian general. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/143 "2020-01-13T17:16:43Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > (bolding mine) > > Even with the qualifiers after the bolded part: cite? > > I’m pleased to note that you are okay with murdering people. Is it okay to murder people for both political reasons AND out of fear of vague possible future threats, or it it ok for just one of those reasons?. I ask because in a short while, it’s going to be clear that the Iranian government isn’t the only one that lied about things in this sequence of events.Got it: according to **XT** : murder is mostly okay and robbery is always bad. Who said I was ok with murdering people? I’m acknowledging reality and that states do this all the time. Your boy Soleimani did this, and so do and does the Iranian regime. And it’s not like the US and Iran are the only ones. Of course, wrt a nation state, ‘murder’ is kind of a gray concept itself, especially in this circumstance. I’m not going to shed any tears for Soleimani, as he was kind of familiar with ‘murder’ himself, especially the directed kind where he orders or plans for the ‘murder’ of others. What IS an issue is that just because you can do something, or even that it’s justified, doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it as a nation state, as you need to consider the ramifications. Sorry if this hurts your delicate sensibilities, though I’ve noticed the hypocrisy that is rampant on this board where the focus on SOME ‘murders’ (such as when the US does something like this) gets folks tearing their hair and crying crocodile tears of grief and rage, while other ‘murders’ (such as, oh, those ordered by Soleimani, or by others who aren’t the US or Trump or someone that politically sticks in your ass) aren’t really mentioned or talked about much. Like I said, for my part, I’m shedding no tears about Soleimani. It was STILL a very, very stupid thing for Trump to do, and it put us on the edge of war with Iran, and THAT is the real issue. But you want to make this about ‘murder’, and how that was the bad part, well, you go there man. But you are a fucking hypocrite unless you are going to do this across the board, and lash out at EVERY state sanctioned ‘murder’ that is ordered by a country. And every major player…such as our now deceased boy, Soleimani AND the various players in the Iranian regime who do this sort of shit every day. I’m guessing though you will save your outrage for Trump and the US, while missing what the real issue is and was. JMHO of course. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/144 "2020-01-13T17:45:57Z")
What we should do is, every year have a vote for the Official Board Hypocrisy Scold. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/145 "2020-01-13T18:25:36Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > What we should do is, every year have a vote for the Official Board Hypocrisy Scold. You know if a conservative said this, you’d be losing your shit. Both sides are to blame, except for me, I float above the fray in the enlightened center. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/146 "2020-01-13T18:30:57Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Who said I was ok with murdering people? I’m acknowledging reality and that states do this all the time. Your boy Soleimani did this, and so do and does the Iranian regime. And it’s not like the US and Iran are the only ones. You should have just linked to this interview of Trump defending Putin’s assassination plots, instead of wasting time typing all those words. > **[Trump: ‘You think our country’s so innocent?’](https://fox2now.com/news/trump-you-think-our-countrys-so-innocent/)** > > WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump appeared to equate US actions with the authoritarian regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview released Saturday, saying, “There are… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/147 "2020-01-13T19:12:06Z")
OK, just long as Solemani is “_your_ boy”. I would be kinda insulted, but if its cool with you, well, OK, then. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/148 "2020-01-13T19:16:19Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Apparently Soleimani’s killing was a result of a sort of tripwire policy put in place seven months ago. > > [Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-authorized-soleimani-s-killing-7-months-ago-conditions-n1113271) One point to Slytherin for Trump actually having scruples. Two points deducted from Slytherin for (1) not announcing the tripwire as a deterrent :smack: and (2) Trump lying about the four-embassies bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/149 "2020-01-13T19:40:56Z")
And what happened to that stuff about the brass hats briefing Il Douche and him selecting Shit #4? And my understanding is that there’s a doctrine in place, says we don’t kill foreign government officials. Because that’s _right_ out! Except if its “imminent”, an immediate threat that requires an _executive_ decision. So we have an executive who can order such a thing if the bad guy has a thermonuclear suicide vest and is in a cab on its way to our embassy. But this says he was put on a hit list, so we watched for the right opportunity. And _then_! we off the guy on foreign soil. Touchy, complicated foreign soil. Kinda hard seeing how the “imminent threat” covers this sort of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/150 "2020-01-13T19:47:52Z")
Maybe he was an _eminent_ thread and this administration got confused. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/151 "2020-01-13T21:31:02Z")
Nah, Trump is just putting up an immanence front (it’s a put on). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/152 "2020-01-13T21:41:56Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Who said I was ok with murdering people? You did. The rest of your post is just you spewing lies and bullshit. Like how you attempt to post about ME instead about what I wrote: “Your boy Soleimani” for example. Oh, and that whole last paragraph too. Oh, and your closing sentence. What a fucking joke you are. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/153 "2020-01-13T22:15:43Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Sorry if this hurts your delicate sensibilities, though I’ve noticed the hypocrisy that is rampant on this board where the focus on SOME ‘murders’ (such as when the US does something like this) gets folks tearing their hair and crying crocodile tears of grief and rage, while other ‘murders’ (such as, oh, those ordered by Soleimani, or by others who aren’t the US or Trump or someone that politically sticks in your ass) aren’t really mentioned or talked about much. I’m an American. Immoral things done by the American government offend me in a personal way that immoral things done by the Iranian government do not. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/154 "2020-01-13T22:46:28Z")
> [@XT](#): > > … I’ve noticed the hypocrisy that is rampant on this board where the focus on SOME ‘murders’ (such as when the US does something like this) gets folks tearing their hair and crying crocodile tears of grief and rage, while other ‘murders’ (such as, oh, those ordered by Soleimani, or by others who aren’t the US or Trump or someone that politically sticks in your ass) aren’t really mentioned or talked about much. … ITFP, please point us to these “crocodile tears”. Who on this board is actually mourning the death of Soleimani? I am seeing people say that killing him was wrong, improper, or dangerously stupid. I am not seeing sadness or grief at his loss from anyone here. Beyond that, you might want to consider that [ul][li] General Soleimani was a terrorist[/li][li] who killed Americans[/li][li] sent to Iraq by the US government[/li][li] expressly to prosecute a war/occupation[/li][li] meaning, with full knowledge of being in harm’s way (it was their actual job description)[/li][li] a war that Bush\Cheney **lied the US into** [/li][li] and then _those liars_ declared Soleimani/the IRGC terrorists[/li][/ul] So, without the malfeasance of the W administration, it is not entirely obvious that Soleimani would ever have been anything other than a carpenter. What is obvious is that the Bush/Cheney lies literally gave rise to ISIL, which never would have formed under Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime. So tell me again who the real terrorists are/were. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/155 "2020-01-14T03:21:51Z")
If right move, then still wrong timing. We should have done it on Iranian soil. Iraqis are seriously and justifiably pissed. With a mere 2 hour wait, our Iraqi bases would be safe. What the heck was so urgent that we had to bite our own foot off? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/156 "2020-01-14T05:59:24Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Who said I was ok with murdering people? I’m acknowledging reality and that states do this all the time. Your boy Soleimani did this, and so do and does the Iranian regime. And it’s not like the US and Iran are the only ones. Of course, wrt a nation state, ‘murder’ is kind of a gray concept itself, especially in this circumstance. I’m not going to shed any tears for Soleimani, as he was kind of familiar with ‘murder’ himself, especially the directed kind where he orders or plans for the ‘murder’ of others. What IS an issue is that just because you can do something, or even that it’s justified, doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it as a nation state, as you need to consider the ramifications. > > Sorry if this hurts your delicate sensibilities, though I’ve noticed the hypocrisy that is rampant on this board where the focus on SOME ‘murders’ (such as when the US does something like this) gets folks tearing their hair and crying crocodile tears of grief and rage, while other ‘murders’ (such as, oh, those ordered by Soleimani, or by others who aren’t the US or Trump or someone that politically sticks in your ass) aren’t really mentioned or talked about much. Like I said, for my part, I’m shedding no tears about Soleimani. It was STILL a very, very stupid thing for Trump to do, and it put us on the edge of war with Iran, and THAT is the real issue. But you want to make this about ‘murder’, and how that was the bad part, well, you go there man. But you are a fucking hypocrite unless you are going to do this across the board, and lash out at EVERY state sanctioned ‘murder’ that is ordered by a country. And every major player…such as our now deceased boy, Soleimani AND the various players in the Iranian regime who do this sort of shit every day. > > I’m guessing though you will save your outrage for Trump and the US, while missing what the real issue is and was. JMHO of course. Funny, you’re defending the assassination of Soleimani, but I’ve never heard you defend the murder of the American contractor that was killed by the Iran-backed militia a few weeks back. Hypocrite. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/157 "2020-01-14T10:27:52Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Funny, you’re defending the assassination of Soleimani, but I’ve never heard you defend the murder of the American contractor that was killed by the Iran-backed militia a few weeks back. > > Hypocrite. Well, that was an _American_. Soleimani was one of those icky Muslim types. Those are the lesser people, so killing them is no big deal. You might as well be handling livestock. /s ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/158 "2020-01-14T10:32:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m an American. Immoral things done by the American government offend me in a personal way that immoral things done by the Iranian government do not. Indeed. The problem with Soleimani’s killing isn’t that Soleimani was a lovely person who will be sorely missed by the world; it’s that _we’re supposed to be the good guys here_ and “good guys” aren’t supposed to go around killing just anyone they want to for any reason they want (or indeed with little reason at all). Admittedly the US has been doing this sort of thing for most of the last century anyway, but at least we usually did it in a way that gave us plausible deniability. Now we’re just thugs. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/159 "2020-01-15T00:08:09Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Indeed. The problem with Soleimani’s killing isn’t that Soleimani was a lovely person who will be sorely missed by the world; it’s that _we’re supposed to be the good guys here_ and “good guys” aren’t supposed to go around killing just anyone they want to for any reason they want (or indeed with little reason at all). > > Admittedly the US has been doing this sort of thing for most of the last century anyway, but at least we usually did it in a way that gave us plausible deniability. Now we’re just thugs. Maybe that should be the new US motto, printed on the currency: _ **We Used to have Plausible Deniability, but Now We’re Just Thugs.** _ ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193/160 "2020-01-15T04:22:53Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Who said I was ok with murdering people? I’m acknowledging reality and that states do this all the time. Your boy Soleimani did this, and so do and does the Iranian regime. Your boy Adolf Hitler was pretty good at this kinda stuff, too. He was also pretty good at using false pretexts for war. See, Adolf, that’s where the more, ahem, well-adjusted among us in a democracy step in and say “We’re better than this, we as citizens should have some transparency and accountability in government, and we’re not going to just shirk away because authority figures tell us to get over it.” > [@XT](#): > > Sorry if this hurts your delicate sensibilities LOL. Good night, Rambo.:rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-killing-soleimani-was-the-right-move/846193.md?page=9)