“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” — Elie Wiesel

In light of the recent letter that Tom Cotton wrote to the Iranians on behalf of you’all, I think you should know who he is, and you should care. Oh and it’s not the official version his pr people put out, but the prescient picture that was drawn of him in an article written by Molly Ball for the Atlantic, before he was elected as a Junior Senator from Arkansas. http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/the-making-of-a-conservative-superstar/380307/.

You ‘all should read it very, very carefully. Why is that? It’s because this man, like any South American Dictator, has stolen the mantle of leadership that was given, under our Democratic political system, to President Obama. Oh and by the way he and his comrades have also violated the American Constitution and the separation of powers, and taken over the duties and responsibilites of the President.

Is that what you as US citizens want. A Junior Senator from Arkansas who has served only 60 days in the US Senate, deciding what US Foreign Policy should be? This man is a dangerous Maverick, who I promise you knows no bounds and has no bounds.

To demonstrate that I’m not exaggerating, I’ve excerpted a paragraph from Molly Ball’s article that describes his Harvard thesis on Federalism, and once you’ve read it, I hope that the hairs on the back of your neck rise up in protest.

“Cotton’s thesis fills in some of these gaps — in ways some might find disturbing. A cogent and tightly argued document, it reveals the depth and intellectual roots of his reverence for American traditions. It also reveals a contrarian devotion to some ideals that seem out of date today. Cotton insists that the Founders were wise not to put too much faith in democracy, because people are inherently selfish, narrow-minded, and impulsive. He defends the idea that the country must be led by a class of intellectually superior officeholders whose ambition sets them above other men. Though Cotton acknowledges that this might seem elitist, he derides the Federalists’ modern critics as mushy-headed and naive.

“Ambition characterizes and distinguishes national officeholders from other kinds of human beings,” Cotton wrote. “Inflammatory passion and selfish interest characterizes most men, whereas ambition characterizes men who pursue and hold national office. Such men rise from the people through a process of self-selection since politics is a dirty business that discourages all but the most ambitious.”

So Arkansas gave us Clinton and now darn it all, they’ve given us Cotton. And wouldn’t you ‘all know, his parents are in fact D’s!

To characterize “ambition” as a trait worthy of holding national office is hardly noteworthy. How about integrity and honesty?

In the article we learn that Senator Cotton served his country courageously in the military. Surely serving in the US Senate cannot be equated to conducting a military operation? It’s surely not an exercise in capturing the flag and ambushing the enemy?

President Obama is a democratically elected President, not to be confused with the terrorists Cotton fought so hard against in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he deserves respect.

As a long time professional in the area of US and European Foreign Policy, I want to advise you not to condone individual members of Congress trying to set US foreign policy. That is the job of the Executive Office, and as often as not it’s done with Congress’s input.

If you prize our democracy or what is left of it, be aware that Cotton’s ambition and ideas are leading him on a sure and steady path to the White House. Lawmakers in Cotton’s home state of Arkansas are already clearing the path for a 2020 White House bid. If somehow he gets there, we all must question whether or not he intends to uphold the very basic tenants of our democracy. His words and actions last week surely tell us something different.