Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard commemorated British rock star John Lennon on the anniversary of his assassination 39 years ago, citing the lyrics to one of his most well-known songs.
"Remembering John Lennon today," Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii, wrote in a Twitter post Sunday, using the the thankful hands emoji. "'All we are saying is give peace a chance,'" she added, quoting the lyrics to the song entitled "Give Peace a Chance."
Remembering John Lennon today. 🙏🏽
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) December 8, 2019
“All we are saying is give peace a chance.”
Lennon, one of the four members of the superstar British rock band the Beatles, was assassinated on December 8, 1980 outside his residence in New York City at the age of 39. The singer and songwriter was shot by Mark David Chapman, who later said he was angered by Lennon's lifestyle and some of his public statements.
Along with his wife and musical partner Yoko Ono, Lennon peacefully protested against the war in Vietnam. The U.S. withdrew from the conflict in 1973 and the war ended with the success of the Communist North Vietnamese forces in 1975.
The anti-war song "Give Peace a Chance" was released in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band, a collaboration between Lennon and his wife. Lennon wrote the song along with former Beatles' bandmate Paul McCartney. The tune, which was Lennon's first single separate from the Beatles, went on to become the anthem of the anti-war movement in the U.S. in the early 1970s.
As a presidential candidate and as a member of Congress, Gabbard has repeatedly criticized America's "forever wars" and "regime change wars." It has become one of her signature issues throughout her 2020 presidential campaign. The congresswoman currently serves in the Hawaii Army National Guard and is a veteran of the Iraq War.
"Rather than debate the wisdom of U.S. military intervention in foreign countries, those who profit from these wars smear me with 'foreign agent' lies," Gabbard wrote on Twitter last week. "I will usher in a new foreign policy that is in our country's best interests and allows us to be force for good in the world [sic]."
The presidential candidate has taken aim at fellow Democrats, in particular former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, for their support of U.S. wars abroad. In her spat with Clinton, she dubbed the former senator from New York as "the queen of warmongers." Clinton voted in support of the invasion of Iraq, which was launched based on false intelligence promoted by the administration of President George W. Bush. Clinton later served under President Barack Obama as secretary of state, during which time the administration greatly expanded the U.S. drone program, which has been responsible for the deaths of many civilians.
Gabbard has also been strongly criticized for her willingness to meet with authoritarian leaders, including American adversaries such as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. She met with the embattled Middle Eastern leader in January 2017 during a trip to the region, and went on to voice her opposition to U.S. support for rebel groups fighting against the Syrian government.
