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One of the astir celebrated moments successful the lead-up to the Iraq warfare successful 2003 was erstwhile then-Secretary of State Colin Powell cited the Pottery Barn regularisation regarding the Middle East: "If you interruption it, you bargain it."
Sadly, that is precisely what happened backmost then, arsenic the warfare turned into a 12-year slog successful which astir 5,000 American soldiers made the eventual sacrifice without achieving the extremity of a unchangeable and modern Iraq.
That is the unreality nether which American B-2 bombers pierced the nighttime entity successful Iran connected Sunday, conscionable aft 12 a.m. section time, attacking 3 Iranian atomic facilities successful an cognition aptly dubbed Midnight Hammer.
RUBIO DECLARES IRAN'S DAYS OF 'PLAYING THE WORLD' OVER AFTER TRUMP'S DECISIVE STRIKE
What the Trump medication understands present is that portion it is bully to larn the lessons of the Iraq War, it is atrocious to beryllium paralyzed by them, and Saturday’s onslaught was a bully illustration of some principles.
Obviously, the astir captious quality betwixt this weekend’s onslaught connected Iran and the Iraq War is that we bash not adjacent person boots connected the crushed successful Iran, overmuch little designs connected occupying it, which is what created the quagmire of Iraq.
FILE - This outer photograph from Planet Labs PBC shows the Natanz atomic installation successful Iran connected May 20, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP, File)
Back then, we had Army colonels who, alternatively of starring battles, were trying to negociate with rival tribal leaders successful a civilization they hardly had clip to understand, and no, they were not greeted arsenic liberators.
That leads america to the 2nd large quality betwixt present and the Iraq War. Trump is lone utilizing the subject for subject actions, not immoderate vague viceregal nation-building and policing mission.
A 3rd large favoritism betwixt Iraq and our existent hard spot is that the authorities of Iran is inactive intact. In Baghdad determination was nary 1 successful complaint aft Sadaam Hussein was chased off. Here, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini tin inactive travel to his senses and springiness up his country’s atomic weapons program, oregon immoderate is near of it.
Last, but not least, the Iraq War was squarely led by the United States, with our "coalition of the willing" immoderate region down us. This is simply a warfare betwixt Israel and Iran. All we did was assistance a adjacent state with a ngo that caused nary Iranian deaths.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the strikes successful Iran are not the opening of a warfare with US involvement. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On Sunday morning, some Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance were making the TV circuit and some unequivocally stated that the United States is not "at war" with Iran, the polar other of 2003.
Any prime Trump made connected Iran, to attack, not to attack, was going to travel with risk. And determination is surely a morganatic fearfulness that Iran could respond with attacks connected our troops successful the region, oregon adjacent a panic onslaught successful the U.S. that would gully america into a Middle East nutrient grinder.
But this was besides existent erstwhile Trump killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani backmost successful 2020. Swift and deadly revenge was promised by the mullahs, but it ne'er materialized. They knew then, and apt inactive do, that a wider warfare against America is madness.
Meanwhile, dissimilar Barack Obama, who drew much redlines successful the soil of the Middle East than Yosemite Sam, each portion ne'er backing it up, Trump conscionable showed America’s foes that helium volition bash what helium says. That's arsenic almighty a negotiating instrumentality arsenic determination tin be.
Timeline showing Operation Midnight Hammer. (Fox News)
Even conscionable hours aft the attack, carried disconnected flawlessly by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his forces, you tin consciousness that determination is nary large gathering fearfulness of a wider warfare here.
Democrats, with a fewer exceptions specified arsenic staunch Israel-supporter Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, are upset that Trump didn’t get Congressional approval. But they aren’t truly informing astir everlastingly wars.
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The non-interventionist helping of the MAGA movement, which was precise large online against subject action, has mislaid this 1 interior battle, but is mostly backmost successful the fold. Nobody wins them all.
In the end, Trump did what helium ever does. He looked astatine a occupation everyone said had nary solution, similar moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, oregon closing the border, and decided helium would beryllium the 1 who yet slammed the doorway connected Iran’s atomic ambitions.
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One week earlier Saturday’s attack, the United States Army celebrated its 250th day with a subject parade successful Washington D.C. Critics called it pointless, oregon self-aggrandizement by Trump, erstwhile successful fact, it was a show of America’s incomparable subject might.
On Saturday, Iran and its ultimate person learned that those lines of marching troops, those machines and flyovers were much, overmuch much than simply a parade.
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