The work week is at an end and boy has there been a ton of news. It would take a full week just to break it all down but next week there will be new news that’s critical to talk about. That will include big news this week that has been going on for a while and we should all be worried, given things with Iran could blow up into a shooting war at any time. Yet it’s occurred to me there’s a method to Trump’s almost literal madness on ramping us up for a war only he (and probably Hegseth) want. In Trump’s warped mind, taking us to the brink or even lobbing more missiles and then ‘declaring victory’ is something he can lobby the Nobel Committee with.
Yep, if Trump has to start a war just to end it so he can claim HE ended it is what it takes then by grab that’s all the reason he needs. Before you judge me and say I’ve lost my mind writing this take a minute to think over my thesis… Done? You probably know how Trump brags about all the “wars” he’s ended. It’s complete and utter bullshit of course but there are MAGAs and versions of them in other countries that believe his b.s. The committee that selects recipients of the Peace Prize don’t buy Trump’s nonsense either. Still, Trump’s Obsession is so great he will take batshit insane risks to create what he feels is a reason the Nobel Committee can’t ignore and he will get his coveted award.
The real root of Trump’s Peace Prize Envy is Obama has one and he doesn’t. Try as he has Trump hasn’t been able to either sweet-talk or bully the committee into meeting his demand to be honored by them. Stupid, infantile minds come up with stupid ways, often destructive ones to get what they want and I say that’s what we’re dealing with here. Claiming he’s the “Most bigly war stopper/peace maker ever” hasn’t gotten Trump his freaking prize. So instead of brokering real and just peace deals for actual wars that a U.S. President who had respect could do, Trump thinks creating a new war he thinks he can either stop at the last minute or quickly end after some air/missile strikes is his new strategy.
This ‘I’m such a great leader who can end wars just by telling people to stop’ is all a self-created fantasy of course. Like his fervent belief he’s such a great golfer he could win on the PGA Tour. Look at all his club championships! Of course, ALL of them are at clubs HE owns. And he cheats as much as he lies which is a lot. As in all the time. Besides, what member in their right mind who doesn’t want to get kicked out (no refund for unused portion of dues) wouldn’t dare post a lower score and take the trophy. When you think about it, Trumpian diplomacy and his claims of being the most important player on the world stage who does more good than anyone is just like his golf. Lies and bullshit. The difference is that the golf crap is about pride and trinket trophies. Wars and threats of wars are literal life and death matters.
Ukraine is still under siege with their civilian population suffering. All while their armed forces are killing many times more Russians than Russia is killing Ukrainians. It’s still going on because if Putin gives up he’s a dead man. Yet his hold on Trump (an Epstein file or two perhaps?) is such that Trump won’t lead the charge for NATO to finish off Putin once and for all. Gaza and the West Bank are besieged by Israel and Trump hasn’t brokered a just peace for that either. Venezuela? That was a snatch and grab job so Trump could have a show trial of their dictator here in the U.S.
The five time deferred Vietnam DRAFT DODGER apparently has enough working brain cells that some of what he’s been told about terrain and U.S. casualties gave him flashbacks. He’s got the lowest approval rating of any Republican President since before I was born. Trump knows deep down sending our troops into a Vietnam type meat grinder will cost him more than mere civilian approval (which is already in his fake gold toilet) but in the military too.
That’s where Iran comes in. Oh, Little Marco Rubio is hopping up and down like a bantam rooster saying “Let’s do Cuba instead” – Lawrence O’Donnell has laid out Rubio’s dream and attempts to convince Trump he’d have the support of Cubans in Florida forever if the U.S. took over Cuba. The problem is that like any other Republican President Trump’s already got that vote locked up! And let’s face it, Cuba without Castro just doesn’t interest Americans all that much. It’s just there.
Iran however is another story. For almost a half-century they’ve been an outcast on the world stage and given their violation of our embassy and holding all those hostages there’s a true blood feud between our two countries. Add in Iran being arguable the world’s biggest State supporter of terrorism other free countries hate and mistrust them almost as much as we do. Just not enough to go to war with them. Realists know that Iran would be a much tougher place than Iraq.
For one thing it’s huge. Way over twice the size of Iraq. Second the terrain is varied. While at least there wouldn’t be jungles to deal with it has mountainous regions that could be difficult to attack. Not to mention a lot of capability buried deep underground. FYI when we “Obliterated” (so Trump told us then) Iran’s nuclear capability we used up almost all the not much more than a handful of the highly specialized bombs that could penetrate facilities deep in mountains or deep underground in large reinforced bunkers.
Then there’s the issue of taking out Iran’s political leadership. That still leaves the problem of the Revolutionary Guard and don’t write them off as being like Saddam’s guys who ditched their weapons and changed into civvies instead of fighting. Iran’s people will fight, and effectively even without civilian support. If you think they can’t do serious damage without civilian help and aren’t old enough to remember look up the history of fighting in Vietnam. The rest of the world is like us terrified of Iran developing a nuclear weapon but there are ways to prevent it without going to war.
That’s why the rest of the world won’t back us up if we try to go it alone. Trump has been told this. He probably even kind of accepts it’s true. However as I said it’s not about nukes or ridding the world of an awful regime that’s caused all manner of grief. It’s about creating a situation he can point to and say “THERE! NOW I deserved my Nobel Peace Prize.” The irony of taking us to the brink of war or for a short while into one in order to end it and claim the mantle of peacemaker is lost on someone like Trump. For him it’s just a marketing ploy to get something he wants. CRAVES even.
However that’s his goal. His strategy is f**ked up. I used the adjectives stupid and dangerous at the beginning but it’s far more so the more you think about it. Still, I’m convinced that’s what it’s all about. Trump saw the protests and assumes if we just take out the current leadership in Iran that will be that. We’ll be enthusiastically greeted as liberators and the people will welcome an “interim/provisional” administration of their country by the United States.
I remind you, as I hope someone Trump pays attention to that it didn’t work out so well in neighboring Iraq. The initial celebrations quickly turned to “Now get the hell out of our country” and within weeks we were engaged what would turn out to be a years-long, meat grinder of counter-insurgency warfare. It would be worse in Iran.
One last time: I think Trump sort of knows this but true regime change in Iran isn’t what this is about. It’s him being able to create a “Peacemaker Moment” he can use to justify his sick demand for Nobel Peace Prize.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
He’s going to start a war to end one for the Nobel Peace Prize. Apparently, he thinks that starting a war to end it won’t be noticed by the committee. He would be even LESS likely to get a peace prize after that debacle, and it WILL be a debacle. It’s going to be even more of a fckup that he realizes.
But seriously, please don’t let us go to war in Iran or Cuba. The life losses will be horrible, especially considering Iran’s terrain. I don’t know about Cuba’s yet. This is ridiculous. With everything you told us, much better than I could have, it seems inevitable. That hurts.
Well, it has begun! The modern Axis of Evil is Israel and US, led by Netanyahu and Trump (who is led/played by war criminal Netanyahu). The ridiculous thing is how far off US is from its home base, with 2 fleets acting in that role, 6000 miles from their own base. There is no sign of support from any other significant source nor of any attempt to bring others (Europe?) on board. And Russia, with Putin owing Iran a lot? Truly, we are in tragicomedy territory. And to what purpose? Diversion from Trump’s peccadilloes? Farcical!
We were in uncharted waters in a storm. Now we are in uncharted waters in a war but still with a madman at the helm. The madman doesn’t call it a “war” rather “combat operations” to use semantics to get around Congress approval. But he will probably claim it triggers a “national emergency” to prevent the midterms.