Outside the Beltway

Comments

1. Jen says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:24

   Whelp. This is incredibly sad/concerning, but I am glad all crew members ejected safely:

   3 U.S. Planes Are Shot Down in ‘Friendly Fire’ in Kuwait, U.S. Military Says

   Three American jets were shot down over Kuwait during “an apparent friendly fire incident” while they were taking part in the campaign against Iran, the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement on Monday.

   “During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the statement said.

   All six crew members “ejected safely, have been safely recovered and are in stable condition,” Central Command added, extending its gratitude to Kuwait for participating in the operation against Iran. […]

   Sigh.

   3
2. Neil Hudelson says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:25

   As is my friend group’s annual tradition, we spent the weekend playing games, watching the 1997 David Fincher classic The Game, and eating wild game.

   What’d I miss while I was gone? Anything interesting happen in the world?

   2
3. Scott says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:33

   Are there any stated, official objectives for the attack on Iran? I’ve looked but haven’t found any. All I see is that it may take 4-5 weeks to achieve our objectives.

   4
4. Scott says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:36

   @Jen: FYI. They were F-15Es. Air to ground version of the F-15. Designed to take out ground targets.

   1
5. Steven L. Taylor says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:37

   @Neil Hudelson: Your comment in conjunction with the weekend’s event turns my mind to Kansas.

   Play (play), play the game tonight
   Can you tell me if it’s wrong or right?
   Is it worth the time? Is it worth the price?
   Do you see yourself in a white spotlight?
   Then play the game tonight
6. Steven L. Taylor says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:38

   @Scott: According to NPR this morning: we do not know what the “objectives” are.

   6
7. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 08:41

   @Neil Hudelson:..
   Just more shredding of the United States Constitution by bloodthirsty, warmonger Donald Trump and his Republican stooges in Congress.
   Four United States soldiers killed so far.
   Nothing to see here.
   Go back to sleep.

   4
8. ptfe says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 09:27

   A thought from this morning: Oil was selling below Venezuelan extraction cost, and by narrowing the market with an assault on Iran – and by bringing up the futures price – the Venezuelan takeover works a lot better for the oil barons. Unclear how much this is a side bennie and how much it’s a front-line incentive.

   2
9. Kathy says:
   Monday, 2 March 2026 at 09:32

   @Neil Hudelson:

   And you did not listen to Queen’s “The Game”? Or even The Alan Parson’s Project’s “Games People Play”?

   Go back and do it again.

   2
10. Neil Hudelson says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 12:16

    Trump not ruling out ground troops going into Iran.
    https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/02/world/iran-us-israel-attack-trump/d3d5e40f-3283-5a99-a25e-42703b84c354?smid=url-share

    1
11. Kathy says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 13:06

    @ptfe:

    I wonder at the logic that raises gas prices domestically, something the US population is hypersensitive about, in an election year.

    1
12. Gustopher says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 13:32

    @Neil Hudelson: I know someone who went on a month-long meditation retreat in early 2020, in the mountains of Hawaii. No phones, no news, supplies dropped off before dawn… apparently quite a lovely time, if you’re into that sort of thing.

    When she entered the retreat, the world was give or take normal, at least in the US. When she left the retreat, it was straight into a raging pandemic.
13. Gustopher says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 13:35

    @Neil Hudelson: We didn’t do a build up in the region, so any boots on the ground will be quite limited, or a very exciting test of logistics.

    1
14. Jay L. Gischer says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 13:46

    Just a quick break from Iran to some other terrible developments.

    Ken Paxton says he’s going to prosecute therapists for helping trans kids transition.

    Was I over the top when I called their aims “trans genocide” two years ago?

    I don’t think so.

    6
15. Jay L. Gischer says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 13:49

    @Jay L. Gischer: Meanwhile, I would like to see this play out in a court, where one might argue that the state needs to show that harm has been done. When it’s the opposite.

    I do not think Ken Paxton is a religious nutcase. I think he’s a grifter, preying on people’s fears.

    4
16. gVOR10 says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 14:39

    @Jay L. Gischer: Meanwhile, in the Free State of Florida, How Florida’s term-limited governor is creating a ‘police state’ as his legacyDeUseless and his GOP legislature have proposed:

    HB1471 would give a handful of state officials unprecedented power to designate as a “terrorist group” any organization whose aims and policies they do not like, including non-profits operating for religious, charitable and social justice purposes.
    HB945 creates a “counterintelligence and counterterrorism” unit within the Florida department of law enforcement that critics say will be used to spy on groups or individuals whose “actions, views, or opinions” are deemed “a threat or are inimical to the interests of this state”.
    an education bill that blocks state funds from any campus where students “advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, or promote or engage in political or social activism”, such as the gun control walkouts that followed the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school.
    Another House bill that passed smoothly through committee scrutiny seeks to limit anonymous complaints against law enforcement, which will lead to “fewer investigations and more coverups”.
    And a “foreign influence” bill looks to outlaw certain groups that, among other criteria, are identified as engaging in “political activity” in the state

    And that charisma free little twerp DeSantis is planning to run for prez.

    I suppose I should be more circumspect. I wouldn’t want to get on some list.

    4
17. gVOR10 says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 15:30

    Maybe someone here can help me out. A day or few before the shooting started I read a very good piece and haven’t been able to find it again. It posited that Iranian leadership had decided they were going to be the target anytime US or Israeli leadership felt a need for military action for domestic political reasons. Further speculated that they had decided their best response was to bloody the nose of anyone who attacked. In retrospect, seems pretty accurate. Anybody seen it? I’m thinking it may have been quoted in a Substack.
18. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 16:13

    @gVOR10:..

    …outlaw certain groups that, among other criteria, are identified as engaging in
    “political activity” in the state

    I would suggest that voting in elections is “political activity” and that Republicans are a certain group that could be outlawed by this legislation.
    (Democrats are too disorganized to be deemed a group.)

    1
19. Sleeping Dog says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 16:38

    @gVOR10:

    As I recall, their was a NYT analysis that touched on those points, but other observers did the same.
20. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 17:02

    Military Times
    Six dead, 18 service members injured in Iran operation

    1
21. Eusebio says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 17:24

    @Scott:
    Objectives? Add these to the list — today, Marco Rubio said…

    …the objective of this mission is the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and of their naval capabilities.

    Ballistic missiles? That’s a broad category that includes relatively short-range missiles. He also said that the U.S. had to attack because Israel was about to attack…

    We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,…

    So the Secretary of State was not able or willing to say to stand down because they were in the middle of diplomatic negotiations.
22. Eusebio says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 17:33

    John Fetterman gets a lot of criticism because some of his positions are right leaning and some of his actions seem maga-friendly. But you wouldn’t know that from his fundraising messages. For example, this message of unbridled progressivism from a few days ago…

    It’s a choice between extremism and common sense. You already know what side I’m on.
    But to win the fight against extremism and pass laws that actually help working families, we have to take back the Senate this November…

    We need a government that stands for workers, unions, and working families – not one that just helps billionaires get richer. And that’s what I’m fighting for.
23. Eusebio says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 17:52

    @Gustopher:
    Hoping that there won’t be boots on the ground, because reasons for that include retaliation for a catastrophic Iranian strike on a U.S. base or ship, or terror attack. And the duration would go from weeks/months (planned) to years.
24. Michael Reynolds says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 18:14

    Cowardice only pays in the short term:

    The Trump administration plans to abandon its defense of the president’s executive orders sanctioning several law firms, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The Justice Department as soon as Monday was expected to drop its appeals of four trial-court rulings that struck down President Trump’s actions against law firms Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, and Susman Godfrey.

    Trump issued a string of executive orders last year against several law firms and individual lawyers that would have stripped security clearances, restricted their access to federal buildings and directed agencies to end any federal contracts with the firms and their clients.

    Who would ever retain any of the gutless six:

    Latham & Watkins, Milbank Tweed, Paul Weiss, Simpson Thacher, Skadden Arps, and Willkie.

    Kudos to WilmerHale which long ago used to employ me.

    3
25. Jay L. Gischer says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 20:13

    @Michael Reynolds: We can file this under TACO, but I think it’s something else. It’s lawfare. It’s meant to make people’s lives miserable. It’s meant to cost them money. Even if it ends up not being legal. He makes a big fanfare when he does it, and he walks away quietly months later. That’s the pattern I’m seeing.

    2
26. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 20:30

    Just saw regular unleaded for $3.399/gal (no discount applied) tonight at the same place that this morning and the last few weeks has been $2.999/gal with no discount. I filled up earlier today at Kroger. $2.899/gal including a 10 cent/gal discount.
    I wonder how much our bloodthirsty, warmongering President pays for gasoline?
27. gVOR10 says:
    Monday, 2 March 2026 at 21:07

    A small chuckle.In 1933 Bertrand Russell wrote an essay about the rise of Naziism in Germany titled “The Triumph of Stupidity”. Over at LGM Paul Campos has been having fun adding chapters to it. Uncertain of the origin, I searched Amazon for “the triumph of stupidity russell”. Amazon doesn’t have such a title so it was confused. The top search result was “Conscience of a Conservative” by Barry Goldwater. Seemed apt.

    It was actually ghostwritten by L. Brent Bozell Jr. and there seemed to be some question as to whether Goldwater had even read it.
28. Gregory Lawrence Brown says:
    Tuesday, 3 March 2026 at 09:21

    Today is Tuesday March 3, 2026. Is OTB online today?
    GLB