By Rich Kremer, WPR

Wisconsin U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson couldn’t be further apart on President Donald Trump’s decision to launch military attacks on Iran.

While Baldwin calls it an “illegal war” because the president didn’t get authorization from Congress, Johnson supports Trump and says there wasn’t time for Congress to get involved.

The U.S. and Israel have been bombing Iran for nearly a week, focusing on the country’s air defenses, missile launchers and other military equipment. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases in neighboring Middle Eastern countries, which has resulted in the deaths of at least six American service members.

Baldwin has railed against Trump’s unilateral use of force since it began. During a March 5 interview on Here & Now, the Democratic senator said Americans “have been clear they do not want another forever war in the Middle East.” She cited promises from Trump’s campaign speeches to end America’s involvement in foreign wars and said the president’s decision to strike Iran equates to “a war of choice” because he didn’t seek authorization from Congress.

“The Constitution makes it the responsibility of Congress who represent the people to declare war, and that has not happened,” said Baldwin. “And instead, we are spending billions of dollars each day in this war, and we’re losing the lives of our troops, including six who have lost their lives in this conflict so far.”

Trump’s administration has said the attack is aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and eliminating its ability to attack countries like Israel with ballistic missiles. Baldwin was skeptical, stating the justifications seem to change “hour to hour.” She said diplomacy is the answer and pointed to her 2015 vote for the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump withdrew the U.S. from during his first term.

In a subsequent March 5 interview on Here & Now, Johnson, the Republican senator described Iran as a “menace” that threatens world peace.

“Iran has been at war with us for 47 years,” Johnson said. “In a low-grade war, but they have the blood of hundreds, maybe thousands, of Americans on their hands.”

Johnson said Trump had to act quickly, because if the country developed a nuclear bomb, it would be too late for America to respond. When asked about Trump not asking for congressional authorization before waging war, Johnson said, “You cannot have 535 commanders in chief.”

“Quite honestly, even full blown discussion prior to the military action would have completely neutered our ability to take the type of decisive action we’ve taken,” said Johnson.

While Johnson said the “Constitution means something to me,” he continued by stating the U.S. hasn’t declared war “since World War II” and the nation has been involved in numerous military operations under Democratic and Republican administrations.

“This is the way things are right now. And when information really travels at the speed of light, you’ve got to make quick decisions, and that’s why we have a commander in chief,” said Johnson.

On March 4, a U.S. Senate resolution that would have directed Trump to halt military operations in Iran until Congress declared war failed mostly along party lines. Baldwin voted in support along with all but one other Democratic senator. Johnson joined all but one Republican senator in opposing the resolution to rein in the president.