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WestMichRad

(3,266 posts)

28. As others have said, it's really two wars

Tue Mar 31, 2026, 12:39 PM

Tuesday

… or two different main aspects of a war. One is the show of military might, which at least up to now the U.S. and Israel have demonstrated superiority. We can bomb and missile them without equal (although they have shown some capability of retaliation).
The second war, or aspect if you prefer, is the political war. This is the part of war that the U.S. seems incapable of winning (thinking of Vietnam and Afghanistan, in particular). We don’t have the ability to go in and dictate the political future of the country (nor should we, IMO). Trump’s stated goal was regime change, and while their former leaders were killed, we have no power whatsoever to dictate who will succeed them. In that sense, the U.S. is clearly losing this war, or this aspect of the war. Trump is admitting as much… although of course, he’ll proclaim victory based on the military mission’s destruction of much of Iran’s infrastructure.

And, as always in war, it’s the people who are the big losers. On both sides.

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Matt Stollar:And just like that, Trump acknowledges the obvious - the U.S. lost and Iran now has hegemony [View all] Passages Tuesday OP

Rubio admitted as much a few days ago IbogaProject Tuesday #1

The war that isn't Whip-poor-will Tuesday #2

your Freudian slip NJCher Tuesday #19

Or maybe someone convinced him that by retreating, Hormuz will be opened. Baitball Blogger Tuesday #3

What removes him from office? maxsolomon Tuesday #21

Think about it. Baitball Blogger Tuesday #25

I'm thinking about it. maxsolomon Tuesday #27

Yup, the super wealthy gop donors are being impacted by the antics of the stooge they put in office. mwmisses4289 Tuesday #30

Even a blind sow picks up and acorn once in a while. multigraincracker Tuesday #4

That's what he said yesterday AverageOldGuy Tuesday #5

THIS orangecrush Tuesday #10

Exactly. To pump the market up. GoodRaisin Tuesday #17

It's what reactionary's do. CrispyQ Tuesday #18

He'll try and spin it as a victory. Don't know how he will do that, but he'll try. And some of the hard core MAGA and Fil1957 Tuesday #6

I know how he'll do it. He'll do what he always does: LIE. And repeat his lies, over and over and over. MLWR Tuesday #7

The same way he does everything else. Declare it loudly EdmondDantes_ Tuesday #8

The destruction of the AWAC was pretty stunning wolfie001 Tuesday #9

The Iranians were very deliberate in their conduct of the war Bluetus Tuesday #24

Isn't it just us? odins folly Tuesday #11

Now we can buy oil from Russia ... wasn't that the whole point of this exercise? FakeNoose Tuesday #14

$2M per ship. That's Iran's going rate to transit Hormuz paleotn Tuesday #15

Got it odins folly Tuesday #23

I wouldn't say hegemony..,,, paleotn Tuesday #12

There is a real problem here. The Iranians are not going to let Trump off his petard without concessions. flashman13 Tuesday #13

Got us by the short hairs paleotn Tuesday #16

That's not the only thing they have got us by. flashman13 Tuesday #20

A broken clock MW67 Tuesday #22

He's a pestilence upon the earth. Joinfortmill Tuesday #26

As others have said, it's really two wars WestMichRad Tuesday #28

The Phony War bucolic_frolic Tuesday #29

When we get together with friends the topic of undoing this mess always comes up. Passages Tuesday #34

If this were a true statement, then why . . . peggysue2 Tuesday #31

I want all of them prosecuted too. I'm not the biggest fan of The Atlantic, yet this Passages Tuesday #33

I wish the characters that these people portrayed in the movie were here now Wonder Why Tuesday #32