To Bomb or not
Accrding to press retorts and Presidential tweets we came within 10 minutes of being in another war. Based on the little actual facts know I was say the halting of the strike against three targets in Iran was a good decision. When Iran shot down out drone (that is an act of war) no lives were lost on a little money. My and many other peoples reaction was "Lets blow the suckers into the stone ages". Emotionally good geopolitically bad.
Trump asked a key question: "How many people will be killed if we strike these targets. Reply 150." He halted the strike saying the response was not proportional to the action. The correct decision. What he did do was increase sanctions on Iran. This will cause more damage and grief than if the strikes were carried pout with no loss of life .
I strongly suspect that if Iran does it again the response will not be sanctions but rather a somewhat larger strike than just 3 AD sites. It is likely to be Iran's Navy and/or Airforce (in particular it rocket and ICBM sites) or some other major portion of the Iranian military.
Restraint was called for in this case a repeat says they didn't learn from the sanctions and most likely won't learn without a great deal of pain beaning inflicted.
Trump asked a key question: "How many people will be killed if we strike these targets. Reply 150." He halted the strike saying the response was not proportional to the action. The correct decision. What he did do was increase sanctions on Iran. This will cause more damage and grief than if the strikes were carried pout with no loss of life .
I strongly suspect that if Iran does it again the response will not be sanctions but rather a somewhat larger strike than just 3 AD sites. It is likely to be Iran's Navy and/or Airforce (in particular it rocket and ICBM sites) or some other major portion of the Iranian military.
Restraint was called for in this case a repeat says they didn't learn from the sanctions and most likely won't learn without a great deal of pain beaning inflicted.
Perhaps more importantly, it was a good political move given the propensity of the opposition to repeatedly exclaim, "Trump is out of control!" This displays again just how big that lie is, and what hypocrites the opposition are.
Trump's decision was a smart one, as it painted him as being restrained and responsible. If he later has to respond more forcefully, his decision to do so will be understood.
The President is offering Iran the same thing he offers North Korea: peace and prosperity if they want it. Ironically, Iran's leadership is in a much better position to take advantage of Trump's offer, but I think Kim Jong Un will reach a point of understanding before the mullahs pull their heads out of the sand.
When a candidate, Trump was portrayed as power mad lunatic who could not wait to drag us into war. Oh, yeah, and the stock market was supposed to crash as quickly as he was elected.
Me dino is still waiting for The Donald to "be more flexible" with Putin. Wonder where I first heard those words used. Hmm, now thinking of a hot mike and of some for really real collusion.
The loss of the drone was $1/4 billion, not "little money". Iran's recent acts of war did threaten lives, and they have been capturing, torturing and killing people for decades.
Whatever the best response, which should be determined by military experts, the demands for a "proportionality" that 150 Iranians would exceed are absurd. That is not the standard for defense against a totalitarian dictatorship. Neither is the proper response more apologetics for whatever Trump does from one minute to the next in the usual sycophantic Trump idolatry.
Anything the Lamestream media has told you about it is false propaganda.
This attempt is to save their asses from their corrupt game of pay to play payoffs , weapons and gun running and worse. They all will be exposed . This is not a game.
Billions to Iran , Uranium to Iran ,$1.8 billion in cash on pallets to Iran. Don’t get fooled again.
BTW we are already in the “Uncivil War”.
Good on him...and better that he isn't tipping his hand to these morons, so that CNN can be there with their cameras to show "the human side" of his "atrocities". On the other hand, maybe CNN SHOULD go there and be sure that the President knows what hotel they'll be staying in...give them a front row seat.
Will sactions work? I doubt it. That regime has no skin in the game. Its the Iranian people who make the money for them and they dont give a crap about their people.
Having a nuclear weapon is their ticket to ride. No nuclear weapon and their regime as well as N Korea will falter. It was a clever strategy which will be repeated I am sure.
They will try other acts of terror, and at some point, we will have to just send some bombs over their way to teach them a lesson. It worked in Libya with Reagan. Best do it before Iran gets nuclear, though.
Better than 50% of POTUS military advisers are BHO holdovers and would love to see DJT start a war just so the left and RINOs can hang him.
In the case of Iran, Its Iran building up its nuclear arsenal for its OWN survival. They will never willingly give that up, nor will N Korea. We put on "sanctions" that hurt the people, but the leaders who want to remain in power just chug along. Then we offer to take off the sanctions in exchange for an non negotiable stoppage of nuclear capabilities.
This is like someone extorting you out of the blue for a large sum of money. When you dont pay, he threatens to break your legs unless you pay up. If you pay up, he removes the threat of leg breakage.
careful, measured and rational responses to aggression only work when the antagonist has a similar approach.
In the case of the current leadership of Iran I am not sure.
You act responsibly and restrained, then they are ready with nukes,
then you have run out of sanctions,
it is too late for a measured 150 fatality response.
Choices then are backing down, or what?
The majority view is to back down now, surrender tomorrow.