“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.”-George Orwell.
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Via The Independent: Trump said no one could have predicted Iranian attacks on other Middle Eastern countries. His advisers had warned him.
“They weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East,” he said Monday at a Kennedy Center board meeting. “Those missiles were set to go after them. So, they hit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait. Nobody expected that. We were shocked.”
Later Monday, when asked whether he was briefed on the possibility, Trump replied: “Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts, nobody thought they were going to hit.”
This is, of course, utter hogwash (to put it politely).
Not only has it been reported that Trump was briefed on the possible outcomes, but it is also inconceivable that the Pentagon would not have wargamed this exact scenario and briefed the president accordingly.
Anyone with a scintilla of understanding of this situation would have known that the Iranian regime would use the Strait of Hormuz as a weapon and that regional escalation was likely. These are two ways that Iran can put pressure on the United States despite the asymmetry in military power.
In case it is not obvious, the goal here is not to militarily defeat the Gulf states; it is to pressure American allies so that they will, in turn, pressure America to stop the war. Further, disrupting global energy is obviously a massive weapon at Iran’s disposal.
Trump was certainly told all of this and more.
So, it is simply the case that Trump is lying to cover his own incompetence and to try to deflect the blame that he richly deserves for the current predicament he has created.
This should matter more than it does. But it seems important to, for the record at least, underscore that he is brazenly lying to us about a war of choice that has unleashed chaos and death on the region, including the deaths of 13 US servicemembers (as of this writing).
This basic formulation is not new. For example, back in his first term in 2017: “Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated.” He said similar things over time about issues like the COVID pandemic and dealing with North Korea.
But, of course, he really doesn’t care about empirical data or the informed views of experts. When recently asked about how he would know when the war was over, here’s what he said.
“When are you going to know when it’s over?” Kilmeade asked.
“When I feel it,” Trump said. “When I feel it in my bones.”
A liar who does not trust experts is going on feelings to make major, globe-changing decisions.
That makes me feel better about all of this!
Meanwhile, The Economist pithily makes a point:
Although President Donald Trump says he has “destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military Capability”, the 0% that remains is playing havoc with the global economy by choking off 10-15% of its oil supply.
I would say that nobody could have known that he would be this dangerous a president, but that would be a lie that would contradict what a lot of experts said would come to pass.
I guess I am just a weirdo who thinks expertise should have a place in decision-making, including in deciding who should be elected to the highest office in the land.
This is all exasperating and exhausting.
I would note that the Strait issue is a pivot point that could either lead to Trump going the TACO route or escalating by deploying troops to secure it.
Let conclude by returning to the Independent piece linked above and a bit of bonus fabulism from the President:
“I’ve spoken to a certain president, who I like, actually,” he said. “A past president, a former president. He said, ‘I wish I did it.’ But they didn’t do it. I’m doing it.”
Trump declined to identify the former president: “I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he’s got no career.”
Just for the record, the only other living Presidents are Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden. The only possible candidate on that list is Bush, and to be honest, I am not seeing George “that was some weird shit” Bush talking to Trump.
But sure, whatever you say, sir.
