But Not So Funny This Time
A Well Known Phrase Seems to Fit
Those of a certain age will remember the Comedy team of Laurel and Hardy, a British-US pair that were very popular in the first half of the 20th century. In so many of their skits, they would get into trouble in a way that should have been foreseen. Inevitably, Laurel would turn to Hardy and say, “Well, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.” Seems like we should all be saying that to Donald Trump – again.
I genuinely cannot recall an Administration, segments thereof or overall, this incompetent, cruel, and shortsighted. Iran is the latest example of this. More on Iran in a moment.
Who Is Pulling The Strings?
The puppeteers are a part of the problem, surely. The cartoon we created for this posting (Thanks, AI) explains much. Putin makes Trump a puppet over Ukraine, Netanyahu does the same, first in Gaza, now in Iran. Wouldn’t it be interesting to listen to these two talk about Trump? Must be a lot of snickering.
A Very Few Notes On Iran
There is more than enough being written about Iran by some smart (and some not so smart) people, so let’s just call out a few highlights that deserve attention:
- I can honestly say I have never seen this country enter a war with zero clear idea why we did so. It is almost a comedy watching everyone from Trump down throwing out rational to see what might stick.
- There are three striking similarities in Gaza, Venezuela, and Iran.
First, there clearly was no careful planning of – anything beyond military operational execution. No Plan B if an element went wrong.
Second, there was no Day 2 plan for what happens after the initial engagement in any of these countries. The senior military personnel still in the Pentagon (a long list of talent was dumped by this Administration) must be pulling their hair out.
Third, the only bright spot in all this is that in all three of these conflicts, some really bad leaders were killed or taken into custody. That does not excuse the operations, but it is an undeniable benefit to the world and their countries.
This conflict went regional immediately. It does not take much to choke the Straits of Hormuz, even when a hostile navy has been largely destroyed. That a good number of the 400,000+ Americans in the Middle East want out is not a surprise. After all, the USG told them they should leave 14 (!) countries at once. What was a surprise was that the Administration did zero planning or resourcing to help those evacuations happen. Inexcusable.
Expect a long list of side effects and consequences this administration did not plan for. Expect terrorism here and in other countries. Note that gas prices are already going up really fast and far. Look for surprises like this one: South Korea is generally measured to be the world’s second largest chip maker, or thereabouts. To do this, they use a special grade of helium in their manufacturing. Where does the helium come from? The Middle East – and the supply has stopped. South Korea has warned that they may have to stop production in a matter of days.
Did you see the joint press conference on the war last week by Secretary Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Hegseth as just insane, shallow, and insulting to so many on so many grounds. Watch the Chairman when the camera included him. The man looked in pain to be on the same stage with a cabinet officer that never should have been appointed (Thanks, Republican Congress) and should have been fired long ago.
Who Really Is At Fault?
Surely Trump and his administration are failing the country in so many ways and are increasingly an out of control entity driven by one tired, warped mind. But they share this burden.
The Republican Congress carries a major, if not the major, responsibility for all this. By failing to assert any authority at all in war, economics, tariffs, cabinet appointments, oversight, and more they have blank checked a dangerous man to hurt the world immeasurably. This is certainly not the first Congress to defer inappropriately to a president who wants to use the armed forces without Congressional sign off, but this is by far the weakest and worst such Congress with the most dangerous president ever.
Remember this when the midterms come this Fall and give us a Congress that will do its job. Those who voted for anything Trump demands need to join the unemployment rosters (just as 92,000 other Americans did just last month).
In the meantime, we are in for a wild ride, and while doing so are spending about One Billion Dollars a Day on Trump’s war.
See You Next Week
By next week, the dust will have settled on the Primaries, and we will be on course for the midterms. Some fascinating things are happening, both good and bad, already. Let’s talk about it.
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