Mastodawn

…Trump’s speech perpetuated the dissonance that has characterized the #IranWar from the start. In Trump’s first extended speech about the #war, delivered 32 days into it, he did not provide a clearer picture. 
This is not the fog of war. It’s the fog of Trump’s rhetoric & perhaps his thoughts.

Opinion by Ramesh Ponnuru

#idiocracy #kakistocracy #TrumpsWar #US #Iran #Trump #WarCrimes #RegimeChange #law #WarPowers #geopolitics #NationalSecurity #economy #oil #EnergyCrisis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/02/trump-iran-war-speech/

Trump’s hall-of-mirrors speech

The president perpetuated the dissonance that has characterized the Iran war from the start.

The Washington Post

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Nonilex

Consider this abbreviated timeline: On March 1, #Trump gave a short interview in which he seemed to change his mind about whether he wanted #RegimeChange in #Iran. On March 6, he demanded unconditional surrender in all caps. On March 13, he said Iran had been “totally defeated.” On March 21, he said the operation had achieved his objectives “ahead of schedule”—although there has obviously been no surrender, with or without conditions.

#idiocracy #kakistocracy #TrumpsWar #law #MiddleEast

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Nonilex 15h ago

Later that day, #Trump said he would start hitting #Iran power plants, which would be a #WarCrime, unless the supposedly already defeated country let #oil through the #StraitOfHormuz.
 The White House address Wednesday provided more of the same dissonance: The #war has already achieved its objectives, so the #US will keep waging it, & it will end soon. #RegimeChange was not his goal but has happily occurred anyway, & he will keep bombing the new, much more reasonable Iranian leaders.

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Nonilex 15h ago

The admin’s most frequently stated objective, & the one #Trump emphasized in the speech, was degrading Iran’s #military capabilities. The White House offers no criteria for assessing when that objective has been sufficiently met. Trump could have used his speech to announce that he is ending Operation Epic Fury: He said, after all, that #Iran is “no longer a threat.” He could announce it tomorrow; he could have announced it on several yesterdays.

#idiocracy #kakistocracy #IranWar #US #law

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Nonilex 15h ago

…This war’s lack of strategic clarity & consistent rhetoric owes a lot to Trump’s well-known character flaws, such as his impulsivity & dishonesty. It’s also a price of his failure to abide by the #Constitution. Even the most ardent advocate of presidential power during the Founding, Alexander Hamilton, said it was up to #Congress to “transfer the nation from a state of peace to a state of war.”…

#idiocracy #kakistocracy #TrumpsWar #IranWar #US #Iran #war #Trump #WarCrimes #law #WarPowers

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Nonilex 15h ago

Presidents have usually sought congressional approval for large-scale military operations, as George H.W. Bush did before the Persian Gulf War & George W. Bush did before the wars in Afghanistan & Iraq. Going to #Congress has a practical advantage that is often mentioned: It reduces the chance that the country will go to #war without much support from the public.

#idiocracy #kakistocracy #TrumpsWar #IranWar #US #Iran #Trump #WarCrimes #law #geopolitics #NationalSecurity #MiddleEast #economy

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Nonilex 15h ago

In this case, though, following the #Constitution would have brought an even more basic benefit: Before it made its argument to the #Congress & the people, the admin would have had to figure out its objectives & how it planned to attain them.
 The White House would have had to think through the operation more than it gives any evidence of having done — or, judging from Trump’s speech, than it is doing still.

#Trump #idiocracy #kakistocracy #IranWar #US #Iran #law #WarPowers #geopolitics

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Tim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPE 15h ago

@Nonilex But why would anyone think that Trump gives a shit about support from the public? He's going to abolish elections, as per mandate, so he doesn't need the votes.

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