All the wars that the US has been involved in, with the exception of the Civil War, have one thing in common: they’ve always been “over there” and happened to other people. However, I’m fully convinced that those halcyon days could come to an ignominious end this time around! Wonder what would happen to the national psyche if one of those hypersonic missiles were to hit a major population center, or a sleeper cell were to target Target or Walmart? It’s always easy to rationalize a war if there’s no chance that the ugliness of war only shows up in clips online or some MSM piece. If the venue were to suddenly be a shopping center in Ft. Worth, Texas or a mall in Hutchinson, Kansas, the true horror of war would become very real very quickly. Pardon my French, but those unintended consequences can be a real bitch. Hey Lindsay, how happy do you think your constituents will be to see you then?
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m holding my breath until the Fat Lady sings on this adventure.
BTW, if attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war, I was under the impression that only Congress could declare war? So how does that work? Is there an “Unless Clause” somewhere in the Constitution that nobody told me about?
He's forgotten that the enemy also has a vote. Let's see how the Iranians respond to this. My feeling is that they aren't going to play along and just roll over.
“A very successful mission”…. I guess no one informed the President that the “fog of war” is a very real phenomenon and the idea that you could use an untested bomb on a target of undetermined survivability and declare complete success is a page right out of the neocon fantasy playbook. “Mission accomplished”, pretty sure I’ve heard that before. And of course we know beyond any question that Russia, China, Iran and a host of other “interested parties” will just sit back and do nothing, no, wait.
They probably also didn’t mention that once the Dogs of War are loosed, they are notoriously unpredictable, uncontrollable and unstoppable. Surely they have to realize that this nightmare has only begun to reveal itself? What a monstrous and horrific path we are going down. I’m still in disbelief that we have been so foolish and reckless. U N B E L I E V E A B L E
Impeachment shenanigans that blotted Trump’s later first term were off the menu after his mandate-giving victory in November. Now, and all for Netanyahu, they’re back on the menu five months and one day into his second term
Trump says that “everyone has heard those names for years” of Fordow, Natanz, and Ishafan, the Iranian nuclear sites. A psychic tell that he knows that virtually no American had heard those names and this just doesn’t relate to their safety
Trump preparing the US public for a regime-change war against Iran. This is not limited to Iran's nuclear program. He warns of a "tragedy for Iran." He warns that he will go "after other targets."
And with a country of 90M people, there are a lot of targets. How many years did we spend bombing targets in Vietnam and to what end? The threat was that other countries in the region would fall to communism if Vietnam fell! So we killed at least 1M Vietnamese. That was a great and moral war that we waged against folks who could barely afford a day's supply of rice.
This actually looks a bit like a hit and run attack.
CTH: "According to media reports, six 30,000 lb. massive ordinance penetrators (MOPs) were dropped by B-2 stealth bombers on the Fordow facility, and 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles targeting Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, fired by submarines."
The purpose of this attack was to provide cover for Trump and Israel to assert victory, save face, and create a plausible illusion that Iran's capability for constructing a nuke is now destroyed. The latter allows Israel and the US to claim that it has achieved its objectives and they may now agree to a settlement that Iran can accept (JCPOA 2.0). This will be a repeat of Trump's "victory" over the Yemeni (all hat and no cattle). Iran will be offered a covert reduction in sanctions in exchange for supporting the illusion of a US victory. Every one wins except the US taxpayer who will foot the bill for this very expensive charade. How far we have fallen.
That only works if the Iranians play along and also use this attack as an off-ramp. They too can claim victory: their nuclear sites are intact, they will now get the bomb, they hit Israel hard, and most of all, the regime is intact. However, they might also hang in there and continue the war.
All the wars that the US has been involved in, with the exception of the Civil War, have one thing in common: they’ve always been “over there” and happened to other people. However, I’m fully convinced that those halcyon days could come to an ignominious end this time around! Wonder what would happen to the national psyche if one of those hypersonic missiles were to hit a major population center, or a sleeper cell were to target Target or Walmart? It’s always easy to rationalize a war if there’s no chance that the ugliness of war only shows up in clips online or some MSM piece. If the venue were to suddenly be a shopping center in Ft. Worth, Texas or a mall in Hutchinson, Kansas, the true horror of war would become very real very quickly. Pardon my French, but those unintended consequences can be a real bitch. Hey Lindsay, how happy do you think your constituents will be to see you then?
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m holding my breath until the Fat Lady sings on this adventure.
BTW, if attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war, I was under the impression that only Congress could declare war? So how does that work? Is there an “Unless Clause” somewhere in the Constitution that nobody told me about?
Trump's tweet is such Orwellian Doublespeak / Doublethink trope. "War is Peace".
What can or will the UN do?
Iran Condemns US and Israeli Aggression, Hypocrisy, and Lawlessness at UN
https://open.substack.com/pub/decensorednews/p/iran-condemns-us-israeli-nukes-aggression-hypocrisy-at-un?r=2vzf0g&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Nothing
Trumps Hope:
Hit and run, and declare victory.
After Iran does a response, as was done for Sulimani, the Israeli’s now have a face saving way to stop their attacks.
We will see if Iran goes with this script.
My guess attack results were cosmetic.
I agree with you, Ray, that the attacks tonight were most likely not "Victory" as DJT declared.
I recommend Larry C. Johnson's after-attack post here on Substack~Will Trump's Political/Military Theater Widen the War?
https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/will-trumps-politicalmilitary-theater
Pretty good.
I had not heard about Russia-involved nuclear plants In Iran before reading Larry's post.
And thanks for posting bomb info further down the line here.
Scott Ritter @RealScottRitter
58m
An act of theater.
Trump’s big mouth had boxed him into a corner.
Iran wouldn’t play his game.
So he had to bomb Iran to save face.
He bombed two empty facilities that had been previously struck by Israel.
And he bounced six bombs off an indestructible facility (Firdos), claiming destruction despite the opposite being the case.
That’s it.
A “contained” strike.
A nothing burger.
And this is the man whose supporters call the greatest leader in the world.
He’s a national disgrace.
Mark, do you know how many GBU-57 bombs were dropped on the two empty facilities?
Three B2s were then needed to drop 6 GBU-57s on Fordow ( which is basically indestructable)...bomb cost $20 million EACH x 6 for one target.
Outrageous! cost for theater.
Fear not, aD. DOGE will recuperate the costs.
I wouldn't be so sure of this. Trump has relocated vast amounts of military hardware and personnel. He seems to be threatening further war.
He's forgotten that the enemy also has a vote. Let's see how the Iranians respond to this. My feeling is that they aren't going to play along and just roll over.
“A very successful mission”…. I guess no one informed the President that the “fog of war” is a very real phenomenon and the idea that you could use an untested bomb on a target of undetermined survivability and declare complete success is a page right out of the neocon fantasy playbook. “Mission accomplished”, pretty sure I’ve heard that before. And of course we know beyond any question that Russia, China, Iran and a host of other “interested parties” will just sit back and do nothing, no, wait.
They probably also didn’t mention that once the Dogs of War are loosed, they are notoriously unpredictable, uncontrollable and unstoppable. Surely they have to realize that this nightmare has only begun to reveal itself? What a monstrous and horrific path we are going down. I’m still in disbelief that we have been so foolish and reckless. U N B E L I E V E A B L E
Curt Mills @CurtMills
10m
Impeachment shenanigans that blotted Trump’s later first term were off the menu after his mandate-giving victory in November. Now, and all for Netanyahu, they’re back on the menu five months and one day into his second term
When the Ds retake the House in 2026, may they do nothing other than impeach him for anything. He will deserve it.
Curt Mills @CurtMills
40m
Trump says that “everyone has heard those names for years” of Fordow, Natanz, and Ishafan, the Iranian nuclear sites. A psychic tell that he knows that virtually no American had heard those names and this just doesn’t relate to their safety
BANNON: People under 35 have zero support for this war. Who supports this? Boomers.
It's the boomers who support Israel.
Many of them parrot the Fox News warmongers like Levin and Hannity etc. Many were antiwar unless Trump was for war, and then it's all good for them.
I'm officially a boomer, Manul, being born in 1962. However, I've transitioned to a Gen X!
I am on the edge of the baby boom too. Have the boomers been good stewards of this country? Have they run the country well?
Not this boomer household, nor our two boomettes' (daughters) households.
Not all boomers...
George Szamuely @GeorgeSzamuely
37m
Trump preparing the US public for a regime-change war against Iran. This is not limited to Iran's nuclear program. He warns of a "tragedy for Iran." He warns that he will go "after other targets."
And with a country of 90M people, there are a lot of targets. How many years did we spend bombing targets in Vietnam and to what end? The threat was that other countries in the region would fall to communism if Vietnam fell! So we killed at least 1M Vietnamese. That was a great and moral war that we waged against folks who could barely afford a day's supply of rice.
Daniel DePetris @DanDePetris
34m
Iran’s conclusion after tonight’s U.S. strikes: we should probably get the nuclear bomb as a deterrent.
Iraq and Libya both proved that point, vs North Korea and Pakistan.
Sulaiman Ahmed @ShaykhSulaiman
1h
BREAKING: Iran state media says ‘ONLY’ entrance and exit tunnels of Fordow nuclear site were damaged after American bombing.
- Mehr News
This actually looks a bit like a hit and run attack.
CTH: "According to media reports, six 30,000 lb. massive ordinance penetrators (MOPs) were dropped by B-2 stealth bombers on the Fordow facility, and 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles targeting Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, fired by submarines."
The purpose of this attack was to provide cover for Trump and Israel to assert victory, save face, and create a plausible illusion that Iran's capability for constructing a nuke is now destroyed. The latter allows Israel and the US to claim that it has achieved its objectives and they may now agree to a settlement that Iran can accept (JCPOA 2.0). This will be a repeat of Trump's "victory" over the Yemeni (all hat and no cattle). Iran will be offered a covert reduction in sanctions in exchange for supporting the illusion of a US victory. Every one wins except the US taxpayer who will foot the bill for this very expensive charade. How far we have fallen.
That only works if the Iranians play along and also use this attack as an off-ramp. They too can claim victory: their nuclear sites are intact, they will now get the bomb, they hit Israel hard, and most of all, the regime is intact. However, they might also hang in there and continue the war.
Watching CNN appears Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper and various guests pretty supportive of US strikes. Glad to see this.
Listening to DJT doing his 'victory speech' now.
Serously galling and sickening this deceiver is.
And he ends his speech by thanking God.
Trump: "I wanna thank and congratulate prime minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before."
ick. Two grown men, licking each other.
Apt analogy, Tamsin.
I watched a "Funny Cats" video earlier, and saw a cat licking the neck of its feline buddy.