FUBAR

 

One week ago:

Changing excuses continue...

Strait of Hormuz blocked, half a dozen refueling aircraft destroyed, at least 7 soldiers dead and about 150 wounded, and the drone and missile detection system in Baghdad destroyed.  Iran is kicking our ass.

But, MAGA thinks we're winning bigly.

No one could have foreseen.  Am I right, Condi?

Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Caine said in several briefings that U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones and missiles to close the world’s most vital shipping lane, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Trump acknowledged the risk, these people said, but moved forward with the most consequential foreign-policy decision of his two presidencies. He told his team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait—and even if Iran tried, the U.S. military could handle it.

[...]

Behind Trump’s rationale for war was a deep confidence in the capabilities of the U.S. military to deliver a swift, decisive victory, according to administration officials and others familiar with the matter. The president’s trust in Caine was buoyed by the successful U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last year and the January raid that captured Venezuela’s autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro.

  WSJ

Trump is high on his own supply.

Before the president approved the operation, he and his advisers discussed options to force the reopening of the strait and use the U.S. Navy to escort tankers through the waterway.

[...]

“The Pentagon has been planning for Iran’s desperate and reckless closure of the Strait of Hormuz for decades, and it has been part of the Trump administration’s planning well before Operation Epic Fury was ever launched,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The U.S. operation to wipe out Iran’s military capability “is quite literally intended to deprive them of their ability to close the Strait,” Leavitt said.

How'd that turn out?

U.S. military officials said the conflict would likely last a few more weeks, at least.

"At least."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran’s decision to block the strait was a sign of “sheer desperation,” adding “we have been dealing with it, and don’t need to worry about it.”

Sure, Jan.

Typically, war preparations include weeks or months of classified deliberations, written planning documents, the airing of dissenting views from diplomats and intelligence officials, and National Security Council meetings with cabinet members to make the most informed decision.

Only a small group was looped into the preparations for Iran—including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth.

A brilliant crew.

The White House and the Pentagon have launched an aggressive messaging campaign built around U.S. invincibility, mirroring Trump’s own conviction that American military superiority can overcome and outlast Iran’s retaliation. U.S. government accounts have posted stylized videos of strikes, some interspersed with movie or videogame footage.

The U.S. is “winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,” Hegseth said, an effort to reassure Americans that the conflict remains firmly under control.

[...]

Some Trump allies who have grown skeptical of the operation have coordinated behind the scenes to schedule appearances on Fox News and other TV networks watched by the president to sound a note of caution and warn against a deeper U.S. commitment.

They have to go on Fox News in order to reach the president.

The president’s advisers say the military operation has unfolded as they hoped it would. The military has launched strikes on roughly 6,000 Iranian targets, heavily damaging Iran’s navy and weapons arsenals, which has weakened the regime’s ability to project power throughout the Middle East and harm Americans in the region.

Yes, we see.

Iran’s new hard-line Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei—who was appointed to replace his father—has vowed to keep ships from the Strait of Hormuz. The regime remains firmly in control and is unlikely to fall soon, according to U.S. and Israeli intelligence.

[...]

Americans have been caught in danger, as well. The State Department didn’t urge U.S. citizens to depart countries in the region or evacuate some embassies until after the war began. By then, commercial airspace was already closed, leaving tens of thousands of Americans stranded in the Middle East and U.S. diplomats at some embassies in harm’s way.

[...]

In the U.S., volatility in gas prices and the oil market have led to the largest-ever oil release from global strategic reserves, sparking anger from oil companies seeking fewer price fluctuations.

[...]

Trump told reporters this week the war would end “very soon.” Just a handful of targets are left, he said. On Friday, Trump said he would end the war when he feels it “in his bones.”

Provide your own punch line.

UPDATE 12:06 pm: 

Oh, I don't know, Kevin.  How about this...

It will.  And most all of the harm will be felt by the middle and lower classes.  

Sure, Jan.

UPDATE 12:47 pm:

Besides ignorance and greed, no one in Trump 2.0 has an ounce of self-respect.