Demoncrats ALMOST had Trump making his own 'Big Mistake'-which Putin has warned of Catastrophic results. Thankfully he had 2nd thoughts and thought for himself.
I didn't chime in on this forum at the time, but Trump calling off the strike was a huge mistake. Not even a month prior I had mentioned that I didn't want Trump to bumble into a war with Iran as a war with Iran is the last thing we need. But there's a difference between a first strike and a limited retaliatory strike meant to brush the Iranians back from the plate. The worst possible think a CIC can do when taking military action is *blink* and that's what Trump did.
It's no surprise that Iran significantly increased their aggression against our interests and allies ever since Trump called back the strike. Publicizing something like that was the main issue. If he called it back and they had kept it quiet it would've been one thing. Nope, Trump screamed from the rooftops that he backed down. I don't know who advised him to commit to the absolute worst strategy possible, but it wasn't John Bolton.
I've always been fairly neutral on Bolton, and I don't think his war monger reputation is as deserved as others do. That's largely a left-wing critique that became a MAGA critique over the past 3-4 years, and I think it ignores the role of the NSA compared to a SoS or other major administrative positions dealing with foreign policy. I think Bolton is a very effective and capable NSA, and Trump firing him proves that Bolton was right to lose his freaking mind over Trump calling back the strike back in June.
Once you decide to retaliate and the planes are 10 minutes from dropping bombs, you only call off a mission if it is there is a very very very clear reason to do so that didn't exist when you have the go order (new intelligence contradicting culpability or showing that a target would be a civilian and humanitarian catastrophe). You do NOT, however, call back a strike because you give more weight to Tucker Carlson (who literally plays a role on TV and doesn't actually believe half of what he spews) than your NSA, SoS, or the Joint Chiefs.
Trump not taking proportionate action when the time was absolutely right to do so is EXACTLY how you end up
*bumbling* into a war. Because now we've have no choice but to strike Iran. I definitely don't want to fight Saudi Arabia's battles for them (I detest their leadership and ruling class), but if Saudi Arabia is left alone to retaliate against Iran is is unlikely to be proportionate, and Iran is unlikely to accept it and back down. Opening up the lid on already historically high levels of Shia/Sunni bickering is the last thing any serious person should want.
Like it or not, the world (and our own economy) is dependent on Middle East oil. It is in the interest of the United States to make sure a boiling conflict in the Middle East doesn't explode. And it isn't just about protecting our economic interests. If Saudi Arabia hits Iran without us (and this includes if we only make marginal contributions instead of leading the attack) then you can guarantee that Iran will retaliate with conventional forces and activate their terrorist cells throughout the Middle East. And, they will devote massive new resources into obtaining a nuclear weapon as soon as possible. That means that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, etc will do the same. And Israel is not going to stand for Iran or anyone else in the Middle East obtaining nuclear weapons. They've shown that repeatedly throughout history. They will strike Iran if there is any sign Iran is again making serious efforts towards nuclear production and research for a nuclear weapon. When that happens, all bets are off. We do not need a Saudi-Iranian-Israeli war with a host of terrorist cells, and an absolute EXPLOSION of the Sunni/Shia divide.
I don't think people realize this is the most serious crisis in the Middle East since the first Gulf War. The United States has no choice but to strike Iran because history has shown time and again that they will NOT engage us conventionally with their military. We will face attacks from their proxies and terrorist allies, but the risk of an expanding Middle East conflict is sharply limited by the United States taking the lead. The response must be both proportional and punitive. It must not exceed what the international community and Iran's internal opposition see as a fair price for their actions against Saudi Arabia and the attack on our UAV in June.
If Trump does not act I truly believe that things will only get worse. Either Saudi Arabia will act rashly and foolishly due to our inaction, or Iran will be further emboldened and step up their attacks until Saudi Arabia responds disproportionately. I don't think we should put the world's energy supplies and Middle Eastern peace is the hands of Mohammad Bin Salman and his idiot advisors.
