New Orleans Jeepers, I bet everyone in the Trump administration from top to bottom and most of the government officials around the world, as well as many of us biscuit cookers, read the New York Times multi-page report on how Trump got us into the Iranian war with Israel. There’s absolutely no question the information came from insiders who were there, right down to the detail of who was sitting where at the table in the decision room with Israel’s Netanyahu and in the after meeting where all of the big dogs got to bark or whimper and get counted. You know they are hunting for the anonymous folks and pointing fingers at each other for who spilled the beans. I am also willing to take bets that all of the same people, here and abroad, are reading the reports now after the sudden Trump shift from bellicose posturing to calling for a welcome ceasefire, even as it leaves Iran still in the driver seat and many claiming this is America’s “Suez moment” marking the end of US world dominance.
Being a fly on the wall and reading the various linguistic gymnastics of the advisers counseling Trump is sobering and depressing. The kindest thing that can be said is that they were all enablers. Even in disagreement with strong reservations, none wanted to speak truth to power, once they felt that Netanyahu had already won the day and suckered Trump into believing that this would be easy-peasy.
Defense’s Hegseth was a mindless cheerleader for blood and guts and let’s go get ‘em, Mr. President. Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, though reportedly against going forward because of domestic risks, kept quiet in order to save her powder privately with the president, rather than wasting it on a foregone conclusion. The head of the CIA has a good moment arguing that Netanyahu’s and Mossad’s hard sell arguments that this would trigger regime change were “farcical.” Former Senator, and now man of many hats from National Security advisor to Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also has his moment rephrasing the CIA’s point to make sure Trump didn’t miss it, by saying it was “BS” without the abbreviation. The key general allowed in the room was circumspect, allegedly deferring to civilian control of the military, but clearly arguing against based on depleted armaments for other conflicts and more, but the report indicates that Trump only heard what he wanted to hear from him, ignoring his caution. Amazingly, Trump was convinced there was no way that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz!
To paraphrase the British taunt at Tony Blair in Iraq that he was “Bush’s poodle,” Trump was Netanyahu’s lapdog with the help of all his advisers. When VP Vance made it to some of the meetings, he flatly opposed the war for good reasons, but like Rubio, the general, Wiles, and the rest, were clear with Trump that they would ride the shark all the way down with him.
The reaction to the ceasefire now after weeks of war might be relief for most of us, but in the corridors of power it seems that Trump and his foolishness have brought us down to the bottom of the sea. He and the Iranian leaders are both declaring victory, though all observers note that none of the declared war aims workshopped by Trump and the administration in real time and in public have been achieved. The Iranians have taken a beating, but are still very much in the ring.
Many are referring to this current episode as America’s “Suez moment,” and it’s not a compliment. When Britain backed down over Egypt’s closing of the Suez Canal, they note that this signaled the end of the UK as a world power. The analogy is not complete, but allies and enemies are noting that Trump has proven in this Iranian misadventure with Israel that we cannot protect and guarantee sea lanes, that we are not a reliable ally who can be counted on for security, and more. Worse, rather than possibly learning a lesson, even as the ceasefire seems unsteady with Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon’s Beirut and Iran’s continued closing of the Strait of Hormuz, the administration is threatening to punish NATO allies for not coming to our aid in this bilateral war by moving troops outside of their country. Middle Eastern countries are certainly not fans, no matter how much they have invested in Trump family business adventures in the US and abroad, since there were no war dividends for them, and Iran is still lobbying missiles their way.
Trump and his enablers got us into this mess. For those of us for whom peace is a priority, it’s unlikely that he will be able to change horses and go back to war no matter how much he chafes at wearing the TACO, Trump Always Chickens Out, logo again, so that’s good news, but it’s unclear how Trump and his team can get us out of this mess. The country and its interests seem to be playing second fiddle to whatever it takes to make Trump happy, the devil take the hindmost. Why wouldn’t most of the world be turning their backs and sneering at America, after the US got them into this mess, blind to the consequences, and is trying to turn its back now, rather than fixing what it has broken?