“Trump’s speech was essentially vamping—repeating the same background music to stall for time with financial markets while he continues prosecuting a failed war,” Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities, told me.
“Unfortunately, Trump’s theory of victory over Iran did not pan out—decapitating the leadership failed to induce quick surrender—and there is no realistic way to achieve murky and shifting U.S. strategic objectives at acceptable cost.”
With news of the downing of a U.S. jet in Iran, Kelanic said that this “strongly suggests that crucial Iranian military capabilities remain intact and functioning, despite President Trump’s assertions that Iran has been decimated. This is yet another disturbing sign that Trump’s war is going far worse than the White House has publicly acknowledged.”
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