Trump
supporters may not like this post. But I have always prided myself on telling
the truth as I have been given to see it. Whereas I have generally supported
President Trump I as regards the Iranian war, and in nearly all other matters
in general, I am concerned he may have set himself up for disappointment, if
not failure, with his recent actions…and words.
I
have no doubt he is a master negotiator. He has proven that time and again over
the years. But continually (VERY) publicly asserting/bragging that you are
clobbering your enemy in a virtually unprecedented manner, particularly a
deranged one like those who control Iran, is almost certain to make them even
more determined to save face. Subsequently stating that you will end their
civilization in a fiery hell if they don’t agree to your demands actually
dramatically limits the choices you have to garner public support and get the
enemy to comply with your desires. I don’t believe Trump ever truly planned to
wipe Iran off the face of the earth and all of her people with it. Therefore,
in so asserting, he narrowed his options down to two: following through on that
vow and looking to people around the world like a monster or allowing his
deranged detractors to say he “chickened out” again. He should never have
provided them the opportunity to do so with any possible justification.
I
don’t usually subscribe to conventional wisdom. In fact, I often loathe it. But
there is no doubt that allowing your enemies to surrender with some sort of “dignity”
is the surest way to get them to surrender. Even when they don’t deserve to
have any dignity at all. Victory—winning—must be the main objective, especially
when your nation hasn’t won a clearcut military victory in over 80 years.
None
of us truly know what has happened behind the scenes. And there is no doubt the
asshats rooting for Iran here in America haven’t helped things. I hope Trump
didn’t himself take an “off ramp” due to anti-war pressure and sentiment here
in the U.S.
But
there is one thing we do know: Iran is extremely unlikely to tell the truth…or
abide by any agreement, ceasefire, truce, or treaty. Which it proved by
launching missiles at Israel and claiming it alone controls the Strait of
Hormuz and may demand a toll fee to pass through it immediately after the
ceasefire announcement. “Taqiyah” is a feature of Islam, a concept essentially
declaring that any deception or lie that favors Islam is acceptable. Therefore,
it is well nigh impossible to take any Muslim dictator or leaders at his or
their word. Or should be.
And
there is another thing we know: the Iranian people, who Trump himself called
“great,” deserve better. This makes the end result even more problematic.
Instead
of painting ourselves into a corner, we should have simply done one of two
things: kept fighting until we finished the job, or declared our military
objectives attained and ended Epic Fury and gone home. Iran knows it is likely
to outlast Americans’ tolerance for this war, and that it only has to still
exist in two weeks, a month, or a year to be able to rightly declare itself the
winner. That is why an endeavor such as this is so daunting. And putting ground
troops in a Muslim nation has proven problematic at best and is guaranteed to
lead to significant American casualties.
So,
where do we stand now? If Iran continues to act up, as seems likely, the
President has to be willing to follow up this “ceasefire” with enough force,
fortitude, and moxie to finish the job. I hope the powers that be have
war-gamed this and have an ace or two up their sleeves. We—and the world—may
well need it.
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