Deadline Poet / November 11, 2023

Senator Tuberville’s Block on Military Promotions

Calvin Trillin
Sen. Tommy Tuberville looks into the distance at the Capitol
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, May 16, 2023.(J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo)

And then there’s Tommy Tuberville.
With rules the Senate favors still,
He needs a single poison pill
To block the jobs we need to fill.
For Tuberville this is a thrill—
And manna for his campaign till.
Among his colleagues on the Hill
Respect for him is nearing nil.

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Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

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Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation’s “deadline poet.”

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