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The First Three Days of War (a recap)

I’m not going to even try to tell you how to feel about us and Israel bombing Iran. Me, I have mixed feelings. But you have every right to applaud or to protest. I just want to break down some important facts.

First Lady Melania Trump chaired a meeting of the United Nations Security Council yesterday on the topic of emphasizing education as a way to advance “tolerance and world peace” for children in armed conflict. Two days before that this war caused an Iranian school for young girls to be leveled. The estimates are between 85 and 150 girls dead. Might have been one of our bombs. Or Israel’s. Or their own. Depends on who to believe. But here is what is uncontrverted: If we hadn’t bombed Tehran those girls would be going to school today.*

Along with those girls, at least four of our soldier have been killed. Will there be more? Will this be another Iraq or Afghanistan quagmire? Our President informed us, “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is.”

That’s just the way it is.

Now here’s a reminder. We spent…sit down for this… $7,000,000,000,000 to accomplish what in Iraq and Afghanistan? Seven trillion dollars. Think of a billion. Then think of seven billion. Then think of a thousand checks for 7 billion dollars each. Universal healthcare? The best education system anywhere in the world? The happiest country on earth? Check, check and check easily with all that money.

Easily.

But we have the same tired formula as the past Republican presidential terms. Enormous tax cuts for the wealthiest people and businesses, cut benefits to the poor, bomb a Middle Eastern country, drive up gas prices, all while having campaigned as the anti-war candidate.

When asked when the war may end, President Trump said when our objectives are reached. When asked what those objectives were he did not answer.

I can tell you what they are not. They are not regime change. Why? We took out not only Khamenei but also the ones we had wanted to replace him. And just last May President Trump told a packed chamber of Arab political and business leaders that the era of American-led regime change was over. And just yesterday Hegseth said that the bombing is not a "regime change war." But on Saturday President Trump did push for regime change in his remarks after the strikes and encouraged the Iranian people to "seize control of your destiny." So there’s that. I guess.

They are not deterrence of Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities. Couldn’t be. Not after both Trump and Hegseth said just last summer, “Iran's nuclear capabilities were totally obliterated" by the “most successful military strike in United States history.” And when just last week Iran had offered to cease high-level uranium enrichment and adopt "zero stockpiling" of enriched materials for nuclear weapons.

Can’t get lower than zero.

They are not to help the Iranian people because they are saddled with a government that murders its own people, destabilizes its neighbors, and treats rights for people targeted by that government as suggestions. Because…do I really need to explain it.

So is it just oil? Again? Are we going to lose thousands of lives and tens or hundreds of billions of dollars to help the long-suffering oil companies? Really? Does the oil under Iran like the oil under Venezuela belong to us? Do we own the whole planet?

Now there is at least one big upside to this war. China and Russia have to be second-guessing their weapons systems after our fighter planes and smart missiles easily evaded or destroyed Iran’s Russian and China-supplied antiaircraft systems. I’d lay odds Taiwan is feeling much more secure this week.

Finally if you are too young to know why Iranians and many Muslims are so anti-West, Google Shah of Iran.

* Schools are protected under international humanitarian law. Children are not permitted to be collateral damage. Every civilized country is expected to verify targets and halt an attack if civilian costs outweigh military advantages. That is, every civilized country except one: ours. Because Hegseth said yesterday, “No stupid rules of engagement, no politically correct wars. We fight to win.”
It is becoming increasingly clear that “#%!¥  the children” just might be the most accurate motto of our country’s leadership.

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