The Iran debacle
Phillips P. O’Brien tries to convey the enormity of Trump’s failure in Iran. His bottom line:
This is no run of the mill TACO. This is complete US strategic failure.
Read the whole thing. The Iranian regime may end up with a stronger hold on power, unfettered access to enriched uranium, and massive revenue from tolls on oil tankers.
I have no expertise in foreign policy, but it’s not entirely clear to me that there were any better options, other than not starting this insane war to begin with. The strategic failure has been baked in the cake since the opening attacks failed to topple the Iranian regime, which was never likely to happen.
I had no idea what Trump was going to do at 8:00 p.m. yesterday. Escalation was certainly possible, but this is not a surprise. Trump decided to prioritize his domestic political needs. Although Trump and the Republicans are still likely to get shellacked in the mid-terms, Trump’s decision to tuck his tail between his legs and declare victory will buy some time for oil prices to normalize and memories of the war to fade, assuming the cease fire holds.
It is possible that Trump’s shamelessness meant that declaring victory was an option for him that would not have been available to other presidents. Perhaps his willingness to lie and his belief that he can sell anything to anyone will save us from an even worse outcome, though of course he bears ultimate responsibility for this fiasco for recklessly going to war.
Eric:
We did not win anything. The Pres. made a fool of himself and cost the global economy $billions trying to show off his machismo.
I would like to believe we learned our lesson in Vietnam about going all out. For sure, we have not with this President even though Pres. Bone Spurs was around then. We lost an A10 and a F15. We sure taught them a lesson!
Trump and Pete are the last people I would want to lead us.
Putin put him up to it. Led him by the nose like a fat cow …
I think you meant Netanyahu instead of Putin.
No. No, I did not …
@Jack,
Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Late comers to the party, bottom-feeders and carrion eaters. It has been obvious since the single-purpose direct Internet connection between the basement of Trump Tower and the basement of Alpha Bank in Moscow (Russia) was reported on ten years ago Trump is a Soviet asset on a mission to destroy America. Yeah, those guys are all trying to grab a piece of the pie but destroying America is Putin’s ballgame. They’re just helping
For what it’s worth, I think he (Putin) has lost control of it …
I’m sure Putin is happy about it as it makes our supporting Ukraine more difficult but I doubt there was any communication with Putin about it.
Has anyone set up a Trump / Obama scorecard on Iran? It’s probably too embarrassing.
Kaleberg:
Do you know? You can write a guest post for Angry Bear. I will help you post it. in the past, Angry bear has accepted guest posts. I (we) have taken comments and made them into guest posts also.