Below is my column in Fox.com on the move this coming week to introduce a war powers resolution to end the attacks in Iran. The task, however, will be far more challenging in light of the escalation of hostilities. With the loss of American personnel, the choice is even more stark politically for these members. President Donald Trump has left Congress with only fight or flight options.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) promised to force a vote on a war powers resolution to bar further prosecution of the war against Iran. Republicans such as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have joined in the call to bar further hostilities. These members are certainly within their rights to call for such resolutions and the Framers wanted such debates to occur in Congress. However, it is too late to make this cat walk backwards. While there are good-faith reasons to oppose the commencement of the attacks, the United States is now in close combat with Iran. Drafting a war powers resolution at this stage would be nearly impossible without putting U.S. personnel and allies at risk.
The Constitution divides war powers between the legislative and executive branches. Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution declares that “the President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states.” However, under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, only Congress may declare wars.
The result has been over two centuries of conflicts between presidents and Congress. Presidents are clearly authorized to respond to threats to national security by commencing military operations. Past presidents, including Democratic presidents such as President Barack Obama and Joe Biden, have asserted the unilateral power to attack other nations when they believe that combat is warranted by national security.
The War Powers Act was the response of Congress to try to curtail such unilateral authority. Overriding the veto of President Richard Nixon, Congress mandated that presidents must consult with them and cease all combat operations within 60 days if Congress has not approved the use of force. Presidents, and some academics, have long argued that the WPA is unconstitutional in part or in whole.
Now to the current conflict. The sixty-day period is likely ample for what President Donald Trump is planning for Iran since he has ruled out putting American boots on the ground in the conflict. That is why Kaine, Massie, and others are moving to cut off authorization immediately.
The problem is that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are now launching a full-fledged attack with thousands of missiles against the United States, its assets, and its allies around the world. It has also declared that the key Strait of Hormuz is now closed — potentially choking off twenty percent of the world’s oil reserves.
So how are these members going to draft a War Powers Resolution?
The WPA requires that
“The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations.”
Kaine and others insist that hostilities were not imminent when we attacked. Even if that were true, they are now. We are in a full engagement with Iran with mounting injuries and destruction. All threats are now imminent and all attacks are arguably preemptive.
WPR specifically allows for the use of force in “a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.” Those attacks are now occurring.
In these circumstances, it would be nearly impossible to limit the war powers of the President without putting American personnel or allies at risk. After decapitating the leadership in Iran, Iranian assets are clearly operating under prior orders in a decentralized structure. That means that the United States must neutralize any and all assets that they can find in preemptive attacks while trying to further degrade the command structure of the Iranian government.
Is Congress going to require the United States to only act responsively, rather than preemptively, to attacks? That would be absurd from an operational standpoint.
The most a resolution could demand is the cessation of hostilities once imminent threats are removed. That would be practically meaningless given the fact that hostilities will continue so long as the current Iranian government remains in power. Both the IRG and de facto Iranian leader Ali Larijani pledged that they are now unleashing every asset against the United States and its allies. Larijani declared “They stabbed heart of the nation, their heart will be stabbed too.”
The other problem with the resolution is the glaring disconnect for Democrats from their silence in the face of Democratic presidents using the same claimed inherent authority as President Donald Trump.
President Barack Obama (and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) attacked the capital city of Libya and that country’s military assets without any imminent threat to the United States. Many of the current members were entirely silent. After calling for the rescission of the broadly interpreted 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), Biden then claimed that same authority to launch his own attacks on Iraq and Yemen.
The choice now for Democrats is either a senseless or suicidal resolution. It can either resolve to end hostilities as soon as practically possible (an objective already stated by the Administration) or it can actually seek to limit the Administration’s options amid full-fledged war.
In other words, Trump (like some of his predecessors) has boxed in Congress. Presidents are allowed to initiate hostilities, and Congress will not end them by limiting our options. The choice is now to finish the fight or flee the battlefield.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the author of the New York Times bestselling “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
Trump successfully took out a modern-day Hitler (no exaggeration), and the Democrat commenters here are full of fury because they know their time is short.
Wow! Isn’t the pig clever? He THINKS he found a way to divert attention away from the new records he set for low approval rating, the disasterous, lie-filled “State of the Union Show”, complete with prizes for military members and cheers for only the mens’ hockey team, all so we won’t think about the lies that grocery prices are lower, inflation is lower and that tariffs are good and paid by other countries instead of us consumers. Then, there’s the SCOTUS shooting down the illegal tariffs, citizens demanding release of the Epstein files, reporters discovered that the “Attorney General” hid reports to the FBI from a 13 year old who claims Trump tried to force her to perform oral sex, and after she bit him, he punched her in the head, and Congress was poised to pass a resolution preventing him from paying back wealthy Jewish donors who want the US to spend our money and risk our service men and women fighting their war. So, Turley praises the pig for “boxing in” Congress, leaving the choices of fight or flight. We have already lost members of our military, and a girl’s school was bombed, killing over 100 girls while the pig, wearing a gold tie, wallowed in glory at a “fundraiser” at his gilded palace by the sea with other members of the class of people that he really represents–the fat cats who want tax breaks, deregulation of consumer and environmental protection, and subsidies.
Tell us, MAGA media mavens, did any of you see the numerous recorded statements Trump made when Obama was President, when Trump accused Obama of being not very bright and because he lacked negotiating skills, he’d have to start bombing Iran? He made these statements numerous times, both in video and written forms. Did MAGA media run any of them? Here’s the abridged version, besides Trump’s racist attacks on Barak Obama and his intelligence and skills, Trump’s theory is starting a war is good political strategy. So, that’s what he did, and Turley is praising him. To date, the pig and his other sty dwellers haven’t articulated any valid reason for the death and destruction he unleashed OTHER THAN distraction, to pay back wealthy Jewish donors and benefit those who gave benefits to Trump and his family who are the main rivals of Iran in the region.
Rubio admitted they don’t have the capacity to enrich uranium to make a bomb, they don’t have the capacity to create an ICBM, they did agree to allow inspections to verify they aren’t making a bomb, and there were ongoing negotiations when the pig sent our military to start bombing them before Congress could stop him. Did MAGA media cover the fact that the main beneficiaries of this war, besides Israel, are Qatar, that gave Trump a flying palace, UAE that propped up Trump’s worthless cryptocurrency to the tune of $2 billion, and Saudi Arabia that bailed out Jared Kushner when he left office, also getting $2 billion? They are Iran’s main rivals, and could all of the conflicts of interest be just a coincidence? Would you want your son or daughter to die fighting this war? What is the end game? How will success be measured? They can’t even articulate a valid reason for starting this war. The supreme leader has always been a bad guy–why start a war now, before Congress could act, other than for the reasons I just laid out?
I say we start a “DRAFT BARRON TRUMP” movement that demands that Barron Trump be forced to serve in combat over there. Give him a gun, teach him how to use it, and put him over there, in harm’s way. If the service members of other families can be sacrified for the sake of the ego of the pig and to divert attention away from his lies and utter failures, then Barron must go, too.
I heard holy joe say obama was the only clean black candidate.
Democratic pundits have been tripping over themselves to point out the difference between him and the average Joe from the South Side. Obama is biracial, and has a direct connection with Africa. He is articulate, young and handsome. He does not feel the need to yell “Reparations now!” into any available microphone.
In 2024, a Maryland Democratic Senate candidate used a racial slur during a house hearing
a Kansas Democratic candidate was condemned by Republicans for a 2020 Facebook post containing a racial slur.
Democrats call themselves the party of tolerance—then scream racist slurs at a Black immigrant woman who won’t do what she’s told.
We need to take these people on, they are often connected to big drug cartels, they are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators. No conscience. No empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way but first we have to bring them to heel,” Clinton said in 1996.
I grew up in Illinois just south of the Wisconsin border at a time when there were more farms than fast food restaurants in town. Much like New Hampshire, where Clinton gave her now-infamous “superpredators” speech, it was overwhelmingly white.
What is significant about New Hampshire is that not only is it host to the pace-setting first primary of the election season, it is a state where Bill Clinton barely won in 1992. It is also one of the whitest states.
1996: Hillary Clinton on “superpredators” (C-SPAN)
In post-1992 LA Riots America, the racial divide was significant. To generalize, black people saw themselves as Rodney King but thought whites viewed them as the more violent rioters. White people saw themselves as Reginald Denny but thought blacks viewed them as the racist cops. Politically Correct-culture was in full swing and people were encouraged to be more thoughtful with their language because words mattered.
Hillary Clinton has always been very precise in her word selection and message so it is especially notable that she chose to use such severe words against black children to a white audience. She now acknowledges that she regrets using those words, but why were they used in the first place? In February, Clinton told Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post at she “was talking about the impact violent crime and vicious drug cartels were having on communities across the country and the particular danger they posed to children and families.”
The problem is the speech was made on the campaign trail less than a month before the New Hampshire primary to drum up support for a second Clinton term in a state where inner-city crime had little to no impact. The point was to instill fear of “them” and illustrate the value of the 1994 crime bill to make voters believe that Clinton legislation would stop the chance, as small as it may be, of these “superpredators” from coming to your white, bucolic town and destroying it with their drugs and crime.
“Superpredators” is not a term that Clinton would ever have used in a more diverse state and by choosing that particular term to describe black children, even black children involved in gangs, to a white audience, she took a potential fear of the unfamiliar and not only normalized, but legitimized, racism. “Superpredators” was not the ramblings of an insane person passing flyers out about how the end is near; it was the thoughtfully scripted words of a woman in an extremely high profile and influential position.
So, sorry Clinton campaign, “superpredators” is still the most damaging insult
A Facebook video from February 2026 is titled “Democrats’ bar for Black Americans is on the FLOOR” which is a metaphorical expression criticizing the Democratic party’s approach to Black voters.
Vernon Jones, at the 2020 RNC, argued that the Democratic Party forces Black people to remain on a “mental plantation” rather than acting as independent thinkers.
Colin Allred blasts James Talarico over TikTok allegation that he called him a “mediocre Black man”
Plus one hundred. The plus another 100.
Boring.
Yummy yummy Cool-Aid? 🙄
“He THINKS he found a way to divert attention away from the new records he set for low approval rating,”
That is a bizzarre argument.
First his current approval is above that of Clinton, Bush and Obama at this time
and Biden 1 yr in.
Regardless Trump OWNS this – if it works out well – he will be “the goat”.
If not – he will lose the house and possibly the senate and be impeached and possibly removed.
Reality will likely fall between – but closer to Goat than villian.
” the disasterous, lie-filled “State of the Union Show””
Yes we know – everything you do not like is a lie.
“complete with prizes for military members and cheers for only the mens’ hockey team”
The womens team was givern the oportunity to come.
They are coming to the WH.
” inflation is lower”
It is.
” and that tariffs are good and paid by other countries instead of us consumers.”
All taxes are bad,
But government is paid for by taxes, and tarriffs are among the least bad taxes.
“Then, there’s the SCOTUS shooting down the illegal tariffs,”
And they are back under different legal authorities.
“citizens demanding release of the Epstein files,”
You will get them and you will continue to insist there must be more.
You will be searching for the “pee tape” forever.
“reporters discovered that the “Attorney General” hid reports to the FBI from a 13 year old who claims Trump tried to force her to perform oral sex, and after she bit him, he punched her in the head”
BZZT wrong – this is a phoned in tip from a limo driver who also reported that Hillary was responsipble for the OKC bombing.
There is no 13yr old.
“and Congress was poised to pass a resolution preventing him from paying back wealthy Jewish donors who want the US to spend our money and risk our service men and women fighting their war. ”
And yet they did not.
We can debate the merits of this action.
Personally it is EXACTLY like the epstain files.
It is something most of use Want.
But not something we are allowed to have.
DOJ was obligated to prosecute what it could, but constitutionally barred from releasing what it gathered by did not prosecute.
But we passed a law and did it anyway.
While Turley is correct – there is plenty of precident for Trump’s actions,
they are still outside what congress intended – but lkike the epstain files – we all want regime change in Iran.
and Trump is delivering.
If this turns sour – it will be all on him.
But if the end is merely less bad than that what we had before – Trump wins, and so do we.
” and a girl’s school was bombed, killing over 100 girls”
Debunked – that was a Iranian missle that failed to guide That happens.
Regardless there will be civilian casualties in Iran.
“Trump accused Obama of being not very bright and because he lacked negotiating skills”
Obama did lack negotiating skills.
Carl von Clausewitz famously stated that “war is a continuation of politics by other means,”
” haven’t articulated any valid reason for the death and destruction he unleashed OTHER THAN distraction”
The destruction of Irans nuclear program
The destruction of Irans missle program
The end to Iran funding terrorist proxies.
Those are the openly stated goals.
The means was negotiation, and if that failed – regime change.
“Rubio admitted they don’t have the capacity to enrich uranium to make a bomb”
Not what he said. They are substantially farther away from a nuclear bomb now than last year.
But they are continuing to move forward.
“they don’t have the capacity to create an ICBM”
Not what he said.
They do not have an ICBM YET.
They do have IRBM’s and they will be able to reach Europe soon, and they US after that.
“they did agree to allow inspections to verify they aren’t making a bomb”
They did not agree to allow the IAEC to conduct inspections.
They did NOT agree to stop enriching Uranium beyond what is needed for a nuclear plant.
“there were ongoing negotiations”
That were not even close to what was demanded.
“when the pig sent our military to start bombing them before Congress could stop him.”
The start was determined by CIA intelligence confirming that all the top Iranian leaders would be in one vulnerable place yesterday.
best to wait for Iran’s ICBMs to be in low earth orbit, to make sure they are legit, then, and only then, seek the approval of the lying den at some point after that to see what should be done. love woke
Much of the Democratic leadership in this country has been
on a 40-year crusade to destroy Justice Clarence Thomas
Trump got dog walked by Netenyahu on this and the main thing he has going for him is that AIPAC has almost as much control of D’s as they do R’s.
If this goes badly – Trump will get the blame – no matter what.
If this goes well Trump will get the credit – no matter what.
No one pushed him into this.
If this goes badly – Republicans will be wiped out in 2026.
If it goes well AND other things go well – Republicans will retain control of government.
Absolutely Netanyahu wanted this.
Trump made the decision – and he gets the credit or the blame.
You could wait until we KNOW whether the result is good or bad before ranting.
Trump just ignored the War Powers Act entirely in a way no other president had to date. Trump has been a master at exposing much of the Constitution has been based on norms rather than rules with teeth…
If he didn’t know for sure, he learned certainly with Emoluments violations which he was found guilty of — only to be faced with the fact penalties for them hadn’t been clearly defined. Then the case was pronounced moot when Biden beat him in ’20.
Trump ignores congress and he ignores the courts often…we’re well into an exponential constitutional crisis sveral times over.
Trump won the Emoluments case – as should have been predictable to ANYONE with a clue about the law and constitution.
Trump knows that the worst case scenario for this entire conflict would NOT take two months to resolve.
In, at most, two weeks, the Iranian military “resistance” (being kind there) will be mostly annihilated.
Democrats (and their RINO buddies) are just grandstanding for the cameras here, just as they did last June when they all condemned the very successful annihilation of Iran’s nuclear development.
Trump and Hegseth don’t believe in the prior 60 years examples set by American POTUSs of “just enough war”.
They believe in devastating, catastrophic force, with minimal risk to American and civilian lives.
Those who can’t see that by now are just partisan Trump-deranged hacks who are inconsequential except in their own minds.
Question: How do you know that Trump knows (that scenario)?
+100
Pretty keen to ignore the “shock and awe” in Iraq… and the extended defoliation campaign in se Asia arencha?
Two real time examples proving your rhetoric wildly wrong, chin.
Presidential responsibilities:
The War Powers Resolution requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30-day withdrawal period, without congressional authorization for use of military force (AUMF) or a declaration of war by the United States.
Congressional responsibilities:
Congress can declare war or authorize force in a matter of hours or days during a crisis, though there is no set minimum time limit. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops, and Congress has 60–90 days to authorize the action before forces must be withdrawn.
The question is: How long will it take Congress to get off its ass and pass a resolution.
Odd…
You didn’t care when Clinton or Obama was bombing away
Touche
How long? Who cares really.
As Mark Levin so astutely put it. The War Powers Act passed over Nixon’s veto is unconstitutional on its face but has never been tested in court. You all would do well to remember that it was a democrat controlled congress, in 1973, that sought to rein in a Republican president, Nixon. Here we are 55 years later and nothing has changed. The democrat traitors, every god damned one of them, except Fetterman, are still trying to rein in and override a Republican President. It will be interesting to see if Trump chooses to challenge it.
Plus, if the Democrats manage to pass the bill Kaine is proposing, President Trump will simply veto it, and his veto will survive any attempt to override it. The Democrats do not have the numbers today like they did back in 1973, even with the support of people like Massie. It is just political posturing to energize their base. That energizing may be more important than the bill itself, but not if Trump succeeds in Iran. Since beating Trump is the only thing they care about no matter the issue, in effect they are siding with the mullahs despite any claims to the contrary.
That is not what the WPA means.
“The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances”
There is no wiggle room in that.
It’s running to me that any congress person would be ok with ending this. The Iranian women and girls live in tyranny. Nothing else will do. If its ok for a democrat to stand back and think 50,000 dead protesters is fine then they are gone to me forever. They kind of already were but there were a few left I might listen to briefly. Terrible vile policy. To me well it means a holocaust is ok in their small minds.
Women and girls is your first and only thought? What about boys and men? How many of those 50,000 (assumed is 30,000) are males? It’ll always be the majority. And you worry about them living in tyranny.
The real kicker is when Judge Boasberg rules Trump has no power etc. And we’ll see a Judge confiscate article 2 for himself. 😂
Carpe diem…
Using a business comparison, even amongst corporate CEOs, Trump is a rare minority – his experience gives him some advantages but also could eventually be his downfall.
Unlike the vast majority of CEOs, to the best of my knowledge Trump has always been both CEO and “majority” shareholder, unlike most other CEOs. Basically a big business being run like a small business.
Trump’s decades of business experience really don’t apply well to governing.
In government, Congress is akin to the Board of Directors and citizens are akin to shareholders. The president (akin to a CEO owning minority shares – not a dictatorship) is essentially “subordinate” in most ways to Congress, voters and the Constitution.
Trump may have some really good ideas every once in a while. Since Republicans control Congress, this Congress would likely rubber-stamp any good ideas Trump proposed.
What may ultimately destroy Trump likely will be acting like a wanna-be dictator (or CEO owning a majority of shares, perceiving himself as the owner of all things) – not respecting the limits of his constitutional power. Not sure Trump knows how to be an American president even if he wanted to?
The Dems would vote in favor of China invading the USA if it means that it will make Trump look bad. Those fools are psycho. . .
They’d yes, let China take it because their purpose is to destroy the USA. EU, UK are already finished. DJT is putting up a fight, a real hero, Billy.
As the constitutional American commander-in-chief, the president acted prudently, temporarily, peremptorily, and preemptively to faithfully execute the laws and protect all states from invasion and clearly threatened “death to America.”
The president did not declare war, which is a power of Congress.
_______________________________________________________________________
Article 2, Section 1
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Article 2, Section 2
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States,….
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Article 2, Section 3
…he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,….
________________________________________________________________
Article IV, Section 4
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature can-not be convened) against domestic Violence.
I spent 12 years in the military, four of them in combat. I never considered Article II as giving the president any kind of authority to wage war without some kind of Congressional approval. It merely means that the president is the commander of the armed forces, but it does not give him the power to commit them on his own whim. It started with Harry Truman in Korea then was followed by JFK in Vietnam. LBJ escalated the war but he got Congressional approval to do it. As for Trump thinking he can accomplish his goals without committing ground troops, how does he propose to do it? Sure, he can throw missiles and bombs and around and might even manage to hamper the Iranian navy but they’ve got missiles and bombs too and they have missiles that can sink ships. Hopefully, it will end quickly and Trump will declare victory but it could turn into a protracted war. Regardless, I fear Trump has destroyed conservative hopes of maintaining control of the government. I don’t know about other states but here in Texas Democrats have been turning out in larger numbers to vote in the primaries while Republicans have been blowing the horn about how close they are to Trump. I can just see a Senator Crockett or Talarico. I did not vote for Trump to start another war.
lol
nice
try
u fool
Please provide your MOS, awards, campaigns, and theater.
Four years in combat is one long firefight.
Sign above the bar in the enlisted man’s club, Cu Chi, Vietnam, 1970:
“War is Hell. Combat is a Mother ——!”
Clearly, you were in not hell, but the mother of all mother——s!
Some Republicans like me are interfering in the Democrat Primary by voting for Jasmine. Then I will vote for Paxton in the runoff if there is one.
Thanks but please vote for Wesley Hunt. He runs rings around Paxton and Cornyn combined. I lived inFort Worth for 20 years and voted for both of them several times but it’s past time for them to retire. Wes will be a great senator for the Great State of Texas.
In 1801, President Jefferson sent a Naval fleet with Marines to fight a war against the Barbary Pirates. He had no Congressional Declaration of War. That was our first war. No one objected as far as I know. So the precedent for Trump’s action goes all the way back to the start.
Precedent means nothing. The text of the Constitution means everything.
“but they’ve got missiles and bombs too…”
no way! who says? bombs? get out. u serious? real bombs? huh? nah, no way jose
missiles? get out of the city. what do you mean missiles? real missiles? no way. how do u no?
You are correct.
Operation AIPAC Furry : the bombings will continue until we have lasting peace.
I voted for Trump 3 times because each time he was clearly the best choice for my country. He still is but I wish he would shake that monkey off his back.
Oldfish says, “the bombings will continue until we have lasting peace.
In other words, “the beatings will continue until morale improves around here”.
Typical stupid comment from a MAGA moron who has absolutely no understanding of what is going on here.
The only way to a lasting peace is by having a plan in place to ensure that responsible leaders come to power, and to provide guidance to the Iranian people on how to achieve a democratic government that is an ally of the US.
On Meet the Press today, Lindsey Graham was specifically asked if Trump has a plan to achieve this.
His answer, ” No, it’s not his job”.
It is very much his job if he wants regime change in Iran. It is completely pointless trying to bomb the current regime out of existence and then leaving a void, a power vacuum, with no plan to fill it.
This entire escapade is doomed to failure.
amen
put adold o’casio in charge
she may know where illinois is
Well if Lindsey said it on Meet the Press, it must be true.
Who “declares war” in this century? That’s obsolete, gentlemanly language. Congress cannot do anything but screw things up and leak to enemies who a few crazy Congresspeople sympathize with.
Let’s trust our President taking advice from our military and intel planners to know what they are doing.
This is high-stakes geopolitical security operations. A decision not participate (the refuge if the irresponsible, timid coward) is not an option. Either get in the game to win, or expect to be walked all over in the future.
Dems cannot expect to have exclusive control over foreign policy, and right now, until they show more national pride and moral clarity, they don’t deserve a seat at the table.
Practically and legally, Congress can and do little to alter the course of events here. Trump took a very big gamble here, and it will play itself out without regard to debates or votes in Congress.
The biggest risk is that Iran’s capacity to fire missiles and drones outlasts the munitions we have for defense. Trump is betting that he can completely degrade Iran’s capabilities, or compel them to stop, before we and Israel cease to be able to defend our assets in the area.
If we avoid that outcome, the consequences are all favourable for the US and Israel, though not in all cases for Iran.
1. A moderate secular regime could emerge quickly — very low probability;
2. A more moderate theocratic regime could survive and sue for peace, agreeing to enough of what Trump has been asking for — medium probability; or
3. Iran descends into anarchy or fragments along ethnic or other lines, potentially destabilising neighbours but ceasing to be a force in the region and no longer being allied effectively with China or Russia — medium probability.
This is a joint US-Israeli op. There’s 99% support in Israel for finishing off the regime. So, it’s not totally up to Congress.
Trump took a very big gamble here,…..
Hardly.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was installed in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran. US Presidents and international leaders have done nothing about Iran even if its leadership has been characterized as a violent, inhumane and authoritarian regime. Khamenei and his Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, whom he created, have committed cruelty and barbarity that are beyond compare. Reading the “news” today on how Democrats / Leftists say nothing about the thousands of dead and mutilated victims under Khamenei / IRGC is par for the course. Democrats just can’t stop defending tyrants, e.g. NYT’s Walter Duranty vis a vis defending Joseph Stalin while Stalin killed millions in the USSR.
Trump broke from the also rans. If WWIII happens as a result, it will serve as a much needed correction to the collapsed civilization we now see. Doing nothing is no longer tenable. Human beings have to reconcile themselves as a species that what we have become is not viable on an evolutionary basis nor just.
The Man Who Destroyed Iran
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/opinion/iran-supreme-leader-dead-khamenei.html
In June 1989, when Ali Khamenei was elevated to the position of supreme leader of Iran, he let slip the sense of insecurity that would come to define his brutal 37-year reign.
“I am an individual with many faults and shortcomings,” he said in his inaugural address, and “truly a minor seminarian.” It was, at the time, an accurate self-assessment for a mid-ranking cleric in the hierarchical world of Shiite Islam.
Over the next four decades, this seemingly unqualified cleric who rose to the top almost by chance would become one of the world’s longest-serving autocrat….He came to govern with the hypervigilance and brutality of a man driven by the idea that much of his own society and the world’s greatest superpower sought to unseat him..
Ayatollah Khamenei’s ideology as a leader was simple and immovable. Resistance against “global arrogance” — what he called American imperialism — informed his belief system and his strategic doctrine. The reformist president Mohammad Khatami once told me that Ayatollah Khamenei believed the Islamic Republic required enmity with America. Under the Ayatollah’s stewardship, the regime’s enduring slogans — “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” but not “Long Live Iran” — made clear that its priority was defiance, not development.
###
The words I placed in bold are the cult mantra of the Democrat / Left today. Edited, they would be as follows:
regime’sDNC’s enduring slogans — “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” but not “Long LiveIranUSA” — made clear that its priority was defiance, not development.– DNC / Left-wing Talking Points
The words of American philosopher Eric Hoffer in his 1951 book, The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements apply to Democrats / Left:
Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all unifying agents….. (mass movements) can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without belief in a devil.
via The Atlantic
Thus Democrats do not believe in God but they kneel before the Devil. As if…..
Trump did the courageous thing once again: Venezuela, now Iran. Cuba should be next.
And I never even voted for Trump.
President Trump hosted yet another glitzy fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago Saturday night as the Middle East was lit up by Iranian missiles targeting U.S. assets and our allies in the region, and while US servicemen were killed.
Video posted on Instagram appeared to show Trump greeting wealthy visitors at his West Palm Beach club on the night that Tehran vowed to unleash “devastating blows” in retaliation for airstrikes which killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Trump admitted in a 2 a.m. Truth Social post in the early hours of Saturday morning that he expected U.S. citizens to die in the war he had just started, but that put no dent in the party schedule at Trump’s private beach resort.
Those fears were later confirmed by military officials, who said Sunday that three U.S. service members were killed and five others seriously wounded in Operation Epic Fury.
Karoline Leavitt told White House reporters on Saturday afternoon that the president would take time out from launching wave after wave of missile strikes against Iran to mingle with millionaires at a Republican fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
Florida Vape magnate Shlomi Evgi posted photos on Instagram on Saturday night that showed him posing with Trump’s top diplomatic brains, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff. He also posted video footage of Trump in a gilded room, wearing a golden tie, shaking hands with high-rolling guests who had paid top dollar to attend the fundraise.
So Trump starts a war in the Middle East, then attends a party at Mar-a-Largo while US servicemen are being killed.
Any responsible Commander-in-Chief would be in the White House situation room with military leaders closely monitoring events in order to respond quickly to any changing events.
But of course Trump is in way anything remotely resembling a responsible Commander-in-Chief.
This is all just a game done to distract from his collapsing poll numbers and the Epstein files.
He does not care that US servicemen are being killed, as long as he can distract from his collapsing polling and his Epstein problems.
Speaking of Money; Where Do you get yours?
And your point is what exactly?
You are beyond moronic. What could Trump possibly do that would help what was happening in Iran? A leader has numerous responsibilities to fulfill and since you’re clearly unaware of it, the timing of the attack was moved up due to intelligence showing that there would be a meeting with numerous targets in attendance. That’s not something Trump could control, and he certainly can’t ghost his event – something you would whine and complain about were he to do that.
Please, take your stupidity to an audience that will appreciate it – the NY Times, VOX, Salon, etc. all come to mind. Just not here.
Wally Moron (correct spelling I believe)
REALLY ?????
Do you really think that Trump’s big party should take precedence over starting a war in the Middle East ?????
Do you really think that Trump had a higher duty to go to a previously scheduled party ???
Do really think that Trump “certainly can’t ghost his event” ????
You seem to think that I would “whine and complain” if Trump skipped his big party.
You are insane !!!!
If there is a war going on, the the only place for the Commander-in-Chief is in the Situation Room of the White House, so he can deal with any unexpected developments.
There goes Wally again. You’d think that since being detained by ICE and removed from the country, he’d worry more about his home country of Canada than the US.
like Rosie bathing in Georgia’s warm springs while fighting Germans in Europe
Do wokies no anything?
One problem when Trump does things like this is that the Democrats hate him even more, driving them seriously to feel impotent. This concatenates with the apparent fact that many the street protestors are paid to protest. Compound with this is that the Democrats have taken the “20 side” on several 80-20 issues to hang their hats on, and seemingly cannot correct their course. What’s their latest? To shut down the government for no point whatsoever, except possibly cheap revenge. And to top it off, their biggest backers are washed up or aging actors, some students, and college faculty.
Kaine didn’t win the VP election – the one Mrs. Bill also lost. So … he whines about everything and anything to get some attention. He continues to be remembered only for being someone who did NOT become the VP in 2017.
“Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression.” It sounds like something Ali Hosseini Khamenei himself would have said had he the opportunity. Instead, the words are comfortably those of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who himself is just another radical Shia Muslim of the Twelver Branch. And some may have thought that Mamdani’s worst belief and practice is that of a hardened and unconditional socialist.
Did you vote for kamal Harris?