O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

Last June Trump said he obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities. He repeated the boast many times. Apparently, in 8 months Iran has unobliterarted its nuclear bomb capability since our military is busy reoliterating it today. Obliteration just isn’t what it used to be.

Let’s say we’ve busted all relevant bunkers. What’s next?

Trump says and then unsays something about regime change. Hegseth repeats whatever he thinks makes him seem manly. Senator Graham says we are safer because he must think Americans fear an Iranian invasion of the US.

Many GOPers think a dead Ali Khamenei helps. Wrong. It just means his replacement will arrive with more vitriol and reasons to hate us. Same for dead generals. Others will follow; nothing will change.

Trump imagines he can exit this quagmire in weeks. How long were we in Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan? Escaping those wars took many years, cost $trillions, thousands of American lives, and hundreds of thousands of local lives, but nothing changed.

What’s Trump’s war doing? He’s disrupting the world economy; raising oil prices; disturbing international shipping; stopping air travel; making lifelong enemies of Shiites; endangering world-wide business operations; making America a pariah nation.

Trump’s pointless disorder is spreading in all directions without controls, purpose, or, apparently for him, any concern. Trump’s legacy is chaos.

John Atherton is a retired philosophy professor.

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