Drunk Driving with Trump
While conservatives are only too happy to tell us there was no war in the Middle East with Iran, and a terrible person was eliminated (to use an antiseptic term for assassinated), they seem oblivious to the recklessness of the entire, surreal episode. Let’s be clear: Killing Soleimani could have sparked a war, and anyone who thinks the violent fallout has passed is sadly naive.
First of all, the Iranians aren’t push-overs. As recently as last year, they seemed only too eager to let us know by shooting down a multi million dollar US drone. They clearly don’t plan on backing down from a fight, and it’s likely this episode has only hardened their resolve.Second, the Iranians are probably planning to fight asymmetrically. They obviously can’t beat us in a traditional military confrontation, but that doesn’t mean they can’t beat us. Anyone who has studied the Vietnam war knows that technological superiority and a high enemy body count in no way guarantee victory.
Trump bumbled his way through the crisis, at least in what appears to be a muted initial reaction from the Iranians, and emerged mostly unscathed. But that only serves to obscure a deeper truth. The Iranians aren’t done with us, and we haven’t even heard from everyone in the region yet. And while Trump managed -at least for now- to avoid all out war, it’s fair to assume the gloves are off and more is coming our way.
The conservative argument is simple – Soleimani was bad. Aren’t we oh-so pleased?
In a word, no! There’s a thousand Soleimanis ready to take this guy’s place, and his deputy has already been named. We accomplished very little with this inflammatory move. Also, taking us to the brink of war isn’t good for anyone and doesn’t bode well for our future. Trump got so close to the line that he had to allow the unanswered bombing of two American airbases. And the Iranians aren’t firing Katyushas. They fired ballistic missiles that were both powerful and precise, destroying specific targets with direct hits. For those who keeping track, that’s pretty freaking close to war. And while Trump sat around contemplating what the Iranians might do to answer his malpractice, he spent his time tweeting away at the Iranians as if they were Rosy O’Donnell. Insanity.
The conservatives have gone completely nuts with Trump fever. They are like a sober passenger in a car with a drunk driver congratulating him because he narrowly missed a school bus. “See? He can drive”, they say! He didn’t kill any children today.