Trump’s Latest Adventure – TPM – Talking Points Memo

Two things come to mind about President Trump’s late-night attack on Iran. The first is one that we have discussed several times. The problem with this attack or war is not just the lack of congressional consultation or any congressional authorization. The problem is more global: the White House has given no explanation as to why all this is happening. This is, in fact, a presidential war the likes of which we have rarely seen before. It’s personal for him. Again, this is not surprising: I suspect the lack of a national public campaign is because it is none of our business. To him, to his country, to his army. He is the one in charge.

The other point is that we are hearing that the president intends to overthrow the Iranian regime. But he encourages the civilian population to rise up and overthrow the government. These two facts say very different things.

First, it almost never works. Even in the most unpopular and repressive governments, people rarely want to make common cause with a foreign attacker, especially when such an attack is underway. But most importantly, the White House clearly has no plan to overthrow the Iranian government. This is not surprising. Overthrowing an established state is a massive military undertaking. Encouraging the civilian population to rise up is what you do when you plan to drop a lot of bombs and see what happens.

This ploy is no different from what the first President Bush did when he encouraged the Iraqis to overthrow Saddam Hussein after his armies were expelled from Kuwait. It’s a kick that indicates the White House will cede control of the situation to forces it cannot control, no matter how well understood they are.