When The New York Times, the December 12th Movement, and countless other leftist formations arrive at the same conclusion about the Trump administration’s attack on Iran, you know it’s a day of reckoning.
What it implies is a moment of truth, an estimation of an assault that, no matter the ideological distinctions, there is general agreement. It suggests that Trump is once again egregiously wrong, unequivocally in violation of international law, endangering our military forces without consent from Congress, and recklessly fomenting the possibility of another “forever war.”
Moreover, we all can recall when he promised that he would not instigate any warfare, only to find calamitous turmoil all around us, much of it unprovoked and ushered forward by his own misconceived notions of threat and hostility. In his march toward total authoritarianism, both at home and abroad, Trump appears to be consumed with egomania and determined, at all costs, to be the global cop.
His ruthless regime has deployed an uncaring agency in our cities, kidnapped a president, and now the merciless killing of a world leader. There’s no way to assess his next move, and even if he had a plan beyond taking the life of the Ayatollah and his associates, he has no legitimate justification for the murders.
At this stage of the conflict, which Trump has stated may go on for weeks, any prospects of regime change in Iran are about as unforeseeable as “No Kings” day here in America, removing him from office. The head of the Iranian government may be chopped off, but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard is still in place, and the consequences remain incalculable. We have already learned that four members of our military have been killed, and if the war continues, there will be more, to say nothing of the collateral damage and the senseless loss of innocent lives.
Yes, we are hearing from the voices of dissent, and gradually, even those anchored in Trump’s base are beginning to see how horrendous he can be. And it is heartening to learn that, according to polls, three out of four Americans are angered by this “war of choice,” and clearly one that looks down the road to the midterm elections.
But if it is in Trump’s mangled estimation that the war could be a decisive factor in these upcoming elections, then he may be in for a rude awakening, as the American people come out of their slumber and see the devil in the details. Yes, “Operation Epic Fury” could very well backfire on the instigator, and that, to paraphrase Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” is “a consummation, devoutly to be wish’d.”