It’s been a history making week. The United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities using 30,000 pound bunker busting bombs to dive hundreds of feet underground to destroy Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon. It is the first time in history these bombs have been used. After the raid was completed last Saturday night, Trump came out to announce the US had “obliterated” Iran’s ability to make a bomb. He said a cease fire was being put in place between Israel and Iran. It was violated within hours. Israel claimed Iran fired a missile, which Iran denied, so Israel fired one back. No injuries and little damage. The cease fire is back on as of this writing.
There is now disagreement about how much Iran’s nuclear program was set back. The US Defense Intelligence Agency says preliminary information shows the bombing may have set back Iran’s program just a few months. Trump says it is flat wrong. Back in March, he said his Director of National Intelligence was “wrong” when she testified that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. She has since said she was misunderstood. This is not the first time Trump has refused to believe his own intelligence agencies. Back in his first term, intelligence reports and a Special Council’s investigation showed Russia did try to interfere with Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2020 to help Trump. He famously stood next Vladimir Putin and said he asked Putin about it and Putin denied it. Trump said he had no reason not to believe Putin.
Trump, of course, has a history of lying and making things up. Number one is his claim the 2020 election was rigged and he really won. When Covid hit, he said the pandemic would go away when the weather got warmer. To show he’s the best deal maker in the world he promised during his campaign he would solve the Russia-Ukraine war in twenty-four hours. How’s that working out?
There was real possibility we could have avoided getting into this situation in the first place. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinkin has written an opinion piece in the New York Times about an agreement made back in 2015 during the Obama administration. It was called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached with Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, the European Union and Iran. He said the deal would put Iran’s fuel for a nuclear weapon in a “lockbox” with strict monitoring procedures. If violated, there was time to negotiate or act militarily.Trump pulled out of the deal and here we are.
Another bit of history was made this week. Sunday morning, as Trump was leaving the White House to head to the Netherlands for a NATO meeting. He told waiting reporters he was not happy with Israel or Iran for that brief violation of the ceasefire. He ended by saying, “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing. Do you understand?” He barked at the reporters. I don’t know if there are historical records of a president’s public use of the f-word, but I’m willing to bet this a first in our long history. It degrades the office and insults the country when the leader has to sink to that level.
Use of language and stagecraft is important when a president is making such a serious decision. When Trump announced the bombing, he walked down the same hallway to a podium that President Obama used to announced the US had killed Osama Bin Linden. Trump was followed by Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They stood behind Trump staring uncomfortably ahead looking like they wanted to get out of there. Obama was by himself when he spoke. Any time a president makes a decision only he can make he is traditionally alone and usually sitting in the Oval Office. It shows he is taking full responsibility for the decision and its consequences.
One final thought on image and seriousness. There are pictures of Trump wearing a MAGA hat in the Situation Room. Could you image Obama or Reagan or Bush or JFK wearing a hat like that under any circumstances? You have to wonder what the f*** this guy is thinking.
Hubris!!