They would probably use the excuse of "generational " bone spurs. When Trump was asked why he never needed surgery for his bone spurs, he replied, "Over a period of time it healed up.". Probably the minute the war ended. His sons have also inherited his propensity for lying endlessly or buying their way out of situations using their "grift"allowances...
My brother who was in special education was drafted in the '60s. He failed the first round of testing by two points. They had him test again and he passed, barely. McCarthy needed bodies for the Vietnam War. My brother, who had cognitive issues was sent off to fight in the Vietnam War. He barely made it home and whatever cognitive issues he had were exacerbated by War and drinking excessive amounts of Faygo red pop with that dangerous red dye, and was exposed to Agent Orange. If my brother had to be sent to Vietnam then Trump's son with cognitive issues should also go.
Cheryl, I am so sorry for the suffering your family has endured. I know words are sometimes useless but I express my heartfelt concern for you all and hope some healing has or will happen. Joan
What happened to your brother was a travesty, but I would not blame it on McCarthy, assuming you mean Senator Eugene McCarthy. He was an anti-war candidate.
US propaganda focuses on glorifying war, calling it a patriotic duty and a chance to "serve" when it's actually exploitation by the sociopathic war mongers. They seem unfazed about sending human beings into the meat grinder of war and it's consequences on those who manage to return from it. How do we dare send other people to kill yet other people knowing what a psychological toll it can take?
Trump’s grandson will assuredly be exemted from any military service --due to whatever affliction they can think of! Certainly hereditary bonespurs has to be near the top of the list.
Dont know about Barron, but the other two only know how to kill defenseless animals. Would like see Jr being chased through the streets of Tehran being shot at with AK47's .
tRumps grandfather dodged military service in Germany in 1885.
Donald Trump's grandfatherFriedrich (Frederick) Trump, did not serve in the military; he actively evaded mandatory service in the German Imperial Army. Emigrating to the U.S. in 1885 at age 16, he left without registering, later having his 1905 attempt at repatriation rejected and facing deportation from Germany due to this evasion.
NO MEMBER OF THE tRUMP FAMILY HAS SERVED IN THE MILITARY IN ANY COUNTRY OVER 100 YEARS!
Keep an eye on events in Ukraine. Comrade Toss-Pot of the East Wing Hole may have inadvertently done the right thing - for every wrong reason you could possibly imagine. It's a move I advocated in this forum way back at the time Hamas lit the fuse on what turned into a virtual Palestinian genocide, when I said I thought Tehran was behind the Hamas attack because of its timing. To me, it "felt" like a diversion that would benefit the Kremlin. The Kremlin was losing ground in Ukraine, and the US Congress was in a state of collapse. Importantly, Tehran has been providing the Kremlin with materiel that the Kremlin has been losing the capacity to produce itself.
Let me hasten to grant that I am clearly of two minds on all this. I will say that from what I understand of the stated objective is that it's too little, too late, considering all the carnage that has been allowed to take place in both Ukraine and that whole region. I also think it's only >real< objective is simply to serve as just another cheesy ploy by Chairman Toss-Pot to distract from this increasing public disapproval for literally everything he >is< and everything he's done. He fancies he'll be considered some kind of national hero for launching this Iran war. He'll probably try to justify awarding himself the Medal of Honor for launching it. Yet I'm glad that it screws the Kremlin's effort in Ukraine. Iran is now using all the Shaheed drones Russia has relied on. No more weapons will be coming from Iran, and the Kremlin lacks credible resources to produce those weapons itself - that Ukraine doesn't already have in its cross-hairs with sophisticated European weapons. Slava Ukraina!
I'm working and don't have time to watch right now, but I have been wondering if there's a connection between the attack on Iran and the abandonment of Ukraine. I think there's something there but I can't figure it out. After I watch the clips, maybe it will be clear(er). Thanks for the links.
Just as a follow up, I think that strategically, the attack on Iran's timing is roughly equivalent to the timing of the Hamas attack. The Hamas attack clearly helped distract attention from Ukraine, but I suspect the US attack virtually screws the Kremlin to death and Ukraine's benefits. However, I think it was more an act of blundering ignorance in an effort to distract attention from the assorted presidential peccadillos that launched attack on Iran, rather than any conscious effort to help Ukraine - or anyone else.
The war began on 7 October 2023, and there were several discussions here about the situation in the following weeks. I pointed out my misgivings about the timing of the attack, as I stated here today, and made clear my suspicion that Tehran was behind it, and that instead of going after the Palestinian civilians, who were in the unenviable position of having to live in areas undermined by Hamas fortifications, they should be directing their attention toward Tehran. But the attack was sufficient to drive Netanyahu and the Licud nuts, when it would have been a short drive on a good day in the first place.
Reich’s right about Trump’s ego, but this isn’t just personal pathology, it’s institutional doctrine. The November 2025 NSS explicitly laid out this playbook: spheres of influence, regional champions, regime change without congressional authorization. Venezuela proved the concept. Iran confirms it’s operational.
The catastrophic costs Reich warns about? Already happening. Iran struck six Arab countries today. Schools bombed (85 children dead in Minab). Sleeper cells activating. Oil markets spiking. But none of this was improvised…it was planned months in advance, coordinated with Israel, documented as official strategy.
Trump’s war for his ego, yes. But he’s using machinery built specifically for this: NSS framework normalizing executive war-making, Gulf state bribes determining targets, compliant institutions enabling constitutional bypass. The ego provides motivation.
Sorry, Mike. Dementia is in my family. No one came close to tRUMP's behavior. However, I agree with the goal. His heart needs to stop ASAP. Preferably in public to ensure that the outcome is verifiable.
You are right, Johan, but a doctrine is like a blueprint. How and when you execute it is of paramount importance. This is why the Constitution entrusts Congress with policy making and execution oversight. Not all Republicans in Congress will be happy with the consequences of this war, which are likely to be far ranging and long lasting..
I disagree about the top reason, I place it firmly in the 4) distract from the Epstein files. That was getting really hot & getting closer & closer to him; plus the addition of mob connections & money laundering proof.
That is the question I posed in letters today to senior Democrats, who delayed acting on the War Powers Act at the behest of their donors in the military-industrial complex till they could provide a date for action on it when Trump was ready to give the pre-emptive green light to war. Friday, perfect--gives DT a weekend to start his lovely war and kill him some pre-pubescent girls before Schumer and Jeffries et al. come back Monday morning and say, "Wait--wh didn't you wait for us to vote?!"
1) yes it is, because all the evidence says they are. But 2) you didn’t read my comment: it is the leaders of the party who delayed and resisted acting in the War Powers, not every single Democrat. The leaders are the ones with the authority and responsiblity to bring the vote to the floor. You should read more investigative reporting on this unconscionable behavior—and do a little research in Open Secrets etc on the leadership’s major donors.
The contention that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon Is a sound one. The mentality that drives that country rolled right out of some ancient Muslim text that desires to cleanse their lands by killing all the infidels. One thing I've learned in the time I've been here is you can't break down the doors of religious ignorance by simply knocking on them. The people who dwell in that area of the world remain embittered for what Moses did when his children entered the land of Canaan. It isn't up to me to justify Trump's efforts one way or another, I'm just one man whose voice is being lost in the shuffle. I understand his intentions but rushing into a darkened room can leave you with a terrible headache. Diplomacy would be my first option, however when dealing with people that have proven through the years that they can't be trusted, how can we put any faith in what they say. The only solution to finding out just how extensive Iran's refinement capabilities have progressed, is to look. You can't do that with a Drone. Looking at Trump's support group I see little reason to be overly confident that the road we are on is the correct one. It is of a primary importance to get the Congress involved. For one man to direct this country's initiatives in the world of war, considering who the man is, frightens more than I. Trump is screaming for a regime change, I wonder how the world feels about ours.
You are lucky to live in the US where your kind of stupidity is protected free speech. If you lived in Iran you would be killed for wishing the Iranian leader dead.
But I don’t live in Iran. And at the rate things are going we could well end up with a government as oppressive as Iran. Any way that Trump can be removed from office would make the country a better place.
If the Republicans want to win, the photo of Ilhan “Ptolemaic” Omar grinning and juxtaposed to the photo of the bloodied Sara Saeidi should be part of the national campaign, similar to the way Fauxcahontas won her first Senate election .
Donald Trump's effort to begin a war in order to detract from the Epstein Files explains why we hear a squishy sound coming from his shoes whenever he walks past. He used the Olympics as a time to release a load of the files because our attention would be elsewhere. Venezuela was another of his efforts to divert our attention away from something he fears terribly. Cannons to the right of him--cannons to the left of him--
"however when dealing with people that have proven through the years that they can't be trusted, how can we put any faith in what they say."
That certainly applies to Trump and his minions. The "talks" were all a sham if this has been planned for months. Do we know what both sides said? Nope. And who do you trust?
Your screaming for regime change--ours--no doubt was a major reason for Trump's war. His popularity has been sinking fast. When fascists are unable to resolve domestic conflicts they go to wa abroad. Hitler did it, Mussolini did it. the Argentinean generals did it. Was Trump so desperate that he forgot all about Bush's mess in Iraq?
Victor - Definitely Bush’s war - only dumber. Yes, I think he’s desperate. T said that he obliterated their nuclear capabilities but apparently his copy of the dictionary is sitting next to his bible. They are two books that he has never looked at.
They (T/Vance) ran on being the pro-peace platform but look at them now. No amount of war is going to change the Epstein files, housing problems, inflation and cost of living, etc. They claim to care about the children but they bomb them over there and ignore them here. The base is trying hard to make this sound like it’s a good thing even after they claim they elected T to keep us out of war. They claimed that Obama was going to drag us into WWIII but it is T who is trying to do that. T is the one who made a deal with the Taliban. T pulled us out of the Joint Plan with Iran just because Obama did the plan. What did he expect them to do? Without an end goal this is not going to turn out well. Is he expecting to be thanked by Iran for supposedly killing their leader (yes, he was a bad man)? What is our justification for the needless deaths that are coming out of this? I told my spouse to make sure that they fill up our car and gas cans because I don’t know what is going to happen now that T made this choice. Supply lines are going to be attacked again. Hope I’m wrong.
Iran's Ayatollah regime is a rotting, dying corpse, and few will lament its demise. This does not mean that the Middle East will finally find peace; the opposite is more likely, for violence begets violence. It is ironic that a moribund, American neo confederate regime has created the anti-Ayatollah.
Iran has been preparing for some time for the eventuality of the Ayatollah's death, hell he was 86. I find it hard to imagine his replacement wasn't standing in the wings. If the successor was in the compound when it was destroyed that's one thing but knowing Trump's love for explosions if I was he I'd stay as far away from the Ayatollah as possible..
Diplomacy would be my first option, however when dealing with people that have proven through the years that they can't be trusted, how can we put any faith in what they say" and they can't believe anything we say.
All the times Obama bypassed Congress (including the nuclear deal itself) with his boast of “pen and phone”. You guys really can’t complain from that angle.
Yes the idea that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon is a sound one and why the JCPOA was finalized. Trump withdrew from that agreement. Who should not be trusted?
In the 1950s the Dulles brothers at the request of Britain had the CIA overthrow Iran’s democratically elected prime minister because he nationalized the British oil industry. Again, who can’t be trusted? I lived in Tehran a couple of years after the CIA coup because my father was in the Public Health Service. The Iranian people in Tehran were all kind to us.
Many factions came together including the educated elites and communists in the revolution that ousted the repressive Shah we had installed. Unfortunately for all the religious fundamentalists won the power struggle.
British colonialism, American communism containment policy and oil company were the root of this mess.
Notice that the states most "threatened" by Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, etc. Are not sending troops to fight Iran. Neither is Israel. The US is once again being used as an unpaid mercenary army by other countries. During the first gulf war, a reporter asked a Saudi official why Saudi Arabia didn't have a draft, and wasn't sending troops to drive back the Iraqis. His answer, which probably sounded better in Arabic than in translation, was: "We have our white slaves fight for us." And the US never learns.
The US is currently probably burning through over $1billion/hr in munitions. Not only does the US need to send not a single troop, they need to pack up and leave the entire region. The US spent over $4Trillion in Iraq and Afghanistan, all borrowed money, which the taxpayer will be paying back for decades. How stupid can a country be?
Israel/Bibi laughs every damn day at how stupid we /tRump is. I'm really tired of being the laughingstock of the world, thanks to one incompetent, narcissistic, criminal moron who calls himself president. If it wasn't so despicable, I'd laugh. But instead I cry!
I was raised in an Air Force family and married into the US Navy. I was always appalled by the war hawks in Congress (this was during Vietnam) who were eager to send other people's kids into war zones, but their own kids got deferments... or desk service at a US military base. We respected Admiral Zumwalt, who was Chief of Naval Operations, because his own son was on the ground in Vietnam. Ultimately, his son died of cancer from exposure to Agent Orange. Adm. Zumwalt always regretted the damage that the war caused to so many people.
Ms Noem is always ready to cosplay in military uniforms. Let's see her do it for real.
The most appalling thing about this current war is that within the first few hours, nearly 100 children were killed, thanks to Israel bombing an elementary school. Nobel Peace Prize, my rosy arse.
I was in the Navy from '68 to '71 when Admiral Zumwalt became Chief of Naval Operations. He was one of the very best Flag Officers to every serve in our Navy. Appointing him was one of the few things Nixon got right!
What is it about Trump's Women and their extreme "enhancements?" They end up looking like blow-up dolls. Someone get these women some competent cosmetic surgeons!
Send the ICE Agents to Iran, they've been very well trained, equipped with the latest assault weaponry, electronic surveillance, communications and the best protective gear available.
Hmm, so that 'training' explains why recently DoD in southern Texas recently fired a laser weapon at a CBP drone, took it out, and then notified the FAA, which then closed the airspace after the event was over? Along with the ICE/CBP agents let's send Noem, Bobert, Patel, Miller, Vought, Hegseth, Kennedy, Lipner, Vance and to lead them all into battle in classic battle style let's put Don the Con himself in medieval armor with a shield and a lance on a white charger. Let's send in all the clowns, maybe that will 'terrify' the Iranian leadership into changing their ways! LOL!! ;-)
guess I should have put /s after the "well trained". It's almost but not quite funny how unqualified our leadership is. Kinda Pythonish- knight on the white horse in medieval armor, not the holy grail!
We agree. He better not send our sons and grandson's to fight his war. Best idea would to send Trump himself, but beware of the.dust cloud he will create as he turns tail. You would think a man with 5 deferments would be against war. He is a coward who knows how to run.
We should send every GOP senator and rep who has supported this madman, and everyone in trump's cabinet, to Iran as a foot soldier to fight this absurd and illegal invasion. The GOP could've stopped this, they refused to. The blood is on their hands. And WTF is our military doing? They know damn good and well this is a madman and this entire thing is illegal and as un-American as it gets.
Starting with little Lindsay Graham, followed by John Fetterman, the republican claiming to be a Democrat. Think he's as demented as tRump! Tired of Massie's condemnations, Susan Collins' concerns & Lisa Murkowski's having to have more information. Put them in a real battle for their lives & see what they have to say then!
Don’t forget his complicit guy NETANYAHU. Same sort of relationship/ regime? As you say in the USA ( or we in Europe)this country is dragging many countries into a dangerous mess. What about all the other countries already suffering from Iran (they signed willingly friendship treaties with your own president!)
Although this will briefly eclipse calls for the release of the unredacted Epstein files, the eclipse will pass and the calls will resume. This man needs to be removed from office by any means available.
Agents acting for the US murder Americans on city streets; Trump is sacrificing innocent lives to fuel his murderous ego. A veto-proof majority in Congress is required to put a leash on a rabid dog.
Viktoria, I thought at first you meant Putin was dead from poison dart frog toxin, but that moment was short lived. It is immensely sad what happened to Alexei Navalny. Russia's one chance to become a decent part of the world community under his governance. Instead, they continue to be subject to the rule of a power mad, absolutely despicable human.
Interestingly, sometime yesterday the Democratic leadership said they'd bring legislation bolstering the War Powers Act to the floor...next week, Wednesday probably. Oopsie! Presumably Trump took that for a flick of the On button for his war plans. The arms and fossil fuels industries stand, or their executives do, to gain a lot from the carnage. They just love them "the smell of napalm in the morning," and they contribute to major Democrats as well as Republicans. Do whatever you can (take the long view) to start unraveling the power of Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. We are not safe until they are gone, gone, gone.
Let’s call this what it is: the Epstein cover up wars.
If we all use the same language it will be repeated and the American people will get it. Many avoid looking at news and apparently the average American spends 4 minutes a week on politics. So messaging helps.
It's not only about Epstein. It's about the $$$$$$ they are planning to make and the money they have already made - this war was ordered by Netanyahu and the oligarchs. It's also about trump's fear of the midterms. Democracy is being given Last Rights.
The 25th amendment is not the answer. It is initiated by the VP and majority of Cabinet members. Their willingness to carry out DJT policies shows they will not defy him now. Yes, tell House and Senate Republicans they must become bipartisan to enact policies to stop DJT immediately.
Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution - the President, Vice President, and all civil officers can be removed from office through impeachment for committing treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
True, altho impeachment requires majority vote in House and 2/3 in Senate. For immediate brakes on DJT, there must be bipartisan action. GOP has to gain courage to vote against prez.
The amendment can br invoked by members of the cabinet or *any group deemed by Congress*. I don't expect this Congress to make up a group to invoke the 25th, but maybe after Nivember.
You're right. We've got two men here who will both go to jail the minute they lose their positions as president. They're both frantic to keep that from happening.
Betsy, 80 little girls die in the ruins of their school in Minab as part of a process to prevent Netanyahu and Trump going to jail when their time in power ends. 72,000 Gazans die for the same reason. People to these two monsters are valueless. Both should be relieved of their powerful positions and face the consequences of their war crimes. The rest of their lives in jail.
He gave it away the other day when he said something about how he told Iran that if they didn’t comply with his demands regarding nuclear capability, they would pay the price. Not much different than a mobster walking into a store and saying, “Nice business you got here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.“ I can’t wait to see this criminal go to jail.
We are now living in a true dictatorship. I have no confidence in a Congress that has shown itself to be absolutely spineless and craven. We need to tear the whole rotten system down. There is no "patching" this up.
It is axiomatic that no matter how serious the issue the liberal reaction will montypythonise it.
Lots of good stuff that one doesn’t have time to go through, but this is a killer. You take the authorisation published by Zombama for the assault on Libya (remember?), score out “Libya” and write “Iran”, and there you have it.
And remember Zombama’s “phone and pen”? The Donald “won”. Deal with it.
Hey, 30% of Americans still support anything he does. What does that say?! As I keep saying, the main benefit of T.O.M. (the orange man) is that he keeps pointing out to us all the places where our democracy and constitution can fail and need rethinking in these modern times. If we ever get rid of him, it will be time for a civil-minded revolution about how to prevent this from happening again. Right now, there is no guarantee for that. Especially in our country that has been transposed from a previously peaceful WE, to a US vs THEM.
BUT! Just where are the legal eagles out there consulting the Constitution? Employing it? I can’t help but really wonder…are they ALL asleep at the wheel!?!
Not asleep at the wheel. They are in so deep themselves that they WILL to go prison, too. So, they have to keep this up until the whole worlds is in ruins and there's nobody left to put them in jail.
And to pay back the bribes he got from the Gulf countries (a 747, a lot of money poured into his crypto ventures, licenses for more hotels to slap his name on, ...). Welcome to the dictatorship.
Paula, the clock was moved up a few weeks ago: 85 seconds to midnight. Less than 1.5 minutes. For what it's worth, closer to midnight than at any time before.
Trump should send all his MAGA supporters to fight this illegal war.
He should send his sons to the front line.
They would probably use the excuse of "generational " bone spurs. When Trump was asked why he never needed surgery for his bone spurs, he replied, "Over a period of time it healed up.". Probably the minute the war ended. His sons have also inherited his propensity for lying endlessly or buying their way out of situations using their "grift"allowances...
Bone spurs don't heal.
I think 47s oldest grandson, Don III, is now 17, so I guess the draft will not be re-enacted.
Trump loves war so much for other people’s children. He should have no qualms encouraging his grandchildren to volunteer.
or Barron..
My brother who was in special education was drafted in the '60s. He failed the first round of testing by two points. They had him test again and he passed, barely. McCarthy needed bodies for the Vietnam War. My brother, who had cognitive issues was sent off to fight in the Vietnam War. He barely made it home and whatever cognitive issues he had were exacerbated by War and drinking excessive amounts of Faygo red pop with that dangerous red dye, and was exposed to Agent Orange. If my brother had to be sent to Vietnam then Trump's son with cognitive issues should also go.
I am sorry about you brother. The Draft was a travesty, because it was so easy to get a deferment. .
Cheryl, I am so sorry for the suffering your family has endured. I know words are sometimes useless but I express my heartfelt concern for you all and hope some healing has or will happen. Joan
What happened to your brother was a travesty, but I would not blame it on McCarthy, assuming you mean Senator Eugene McCarthy. He was an anti-war candidate.
US propaganda focuses on glorifying war, calling it a patriotic duty and a chance to "serve" when it's actually exploitation by the sociopathic war mongers. They seem unfazed about sending human beings into the meat grinder of war and it's consequences on those who manage to return from it. How do we dare send other people to kill yet other people knowing what a psychological toll it can take?
Your brother didn’t deserve what happened at all. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
AMEN!
who was McCarthy?
He sees himself as a hero and wants our country to honor him by sticking his name on all the buildings he hasn’t already desecrated with it.
Trump’s grandson will assuredly be exemted from any military service --due to whatever affliction they can think of! Certainly hereditary bonespurs has to be near the top of the list.
Don’t forget Baron
Baron Von Bone Spurs?
Too funny!
Oh he can always excuse his grandson on, oh say bone spurs grounds. it worked for him why not for grandson.
B, good point!
Dont know about Barron, but the other two only know how to kill defenseless animals. Would like see Jr being chased through the streets of Tehran being shot at with AK47's .
They are all cowards. Bone Spurs must run in the family in regards to serving the country. I call it spineless.
All the first generation are spineless, just like Senor TACO.
tRumps grandfather dodged military service in Germany in 1885.
Donald Trump's grandfatherFriedrich (Frederick) Trump, did not serve in the military; he actively evaded mandatory service in the German Imperial Army. Emigrating to the U.S. in 1885 at age 16, he left without registering, later having his 1905 attempt at repatriation rejected and facing deportation from Germany due to this evasion.
NO MEMBER OF THE tRUMP FAMILY HAS SERVED IN THE MILITARY IN ANY COUNTRY OVER 100 YEARS!
But not spurless.
Clearly they never studied anatomy
they inherited his bone spurs.
Keep an eye on events in Ukraine. Comrade Toss-Pot of the East Wing Hole may have inadvertently done the right thing - for every wrong reason you could possibly imagine. It's a move I advocated in this forum way back at the time Hamas lit the fuse on what turned into a virtual Palestinian genocide, when I said I thought Tehran was behind the Hamas attack because of its timing. To me, it "felt" like a diversion that would benefit the Kremlin. The Kremlin was losing ground in Ukraine, and the US Congress was in a state of collapse. Importantly, Tehran has been providing the Kremlin with materiel that the Kremlin has been losing the capacity to produce itself.
A Ukrainian view:
https://youtu.be/UlOYIlelmEY?si=gddQxYf4aeVV1ytA
and
https://youtu.be/qTuusScoMT8?si=3eXgEanP9Kgnyr-b
Let me hasten to grant that I am clearly of two minds on all this. I will say that from what I understand of the stated objective is that it's too little, too late, considering all the carnage that has been allowed to take place in both Ukraine and that whole region. I also think it's only >real< objective is simply to serve as just another cheesy ploy by Chairman Toss-Pot to distract from this increasing public disapproval for literally everything he >is< and everything he's done. He fancies he'll be considered some kind of national hero for launching this Iran war. He'll probably try to justify awarding himself the Medal of Honor for launching it. Yet I'm glad that it screws the Kremlin's effort in Ukraine. Iran is now using all the Shaheed drones Russia has relied on. No more weapons will be coming from Iran, and the Kremlin lacks credible resources to produce those weapons itself - that Ukraine doesn't already have in its cross-hairs with sophisticated European weapons. Slava Ukraina!
I'm working and don't have time to watch right now, but I have been wondering if there's a connection between the attack on Iran and the abandonment of Ukraine. I think there's something there but I can't figure it out. After I watch the clips, maybe it will be clear(er). Thanks for the links.
Just as a follow up, I think that strategically, the attack on Iran's timing is roughly equivalent to the timing of the Hamas attack. The Hamas attack clearly helped distract attention from Ukraine, but I suspect the US attack virtually screws the Kremlin to death and Ukraine's benefits. However, I think it was more an act of blundering ignorance in an effort to distract attention from the assorted presidential peccadillos that launched attack on Iran, rather than any conscious effort to help Ukraine - or anyone else.
What about the effect of increasing the price of oil that Russia can sell; won’t that be a big boost to Russia’s finances?
The war began on 7 October 2023, and there were several discussions here about the situation in the following weeks. I pointed out my misgivings about the timing of the attack, as I stated here today, and made clear my suspicion that Tehran was behind it, and that instead of going after the Palestinian civilians, who were in the unenviable position of having to live in areas undermined by Hamas fortifications, they should be directing their attention toward Tehran. But the attack was sufficient to drive Netanyahu and the Licud nuts, when it would have been a short drive on a good day in the first place.
I heard that all of his kids have inherited bone spurs .
The world will cheer for General Eric "Window-Licker" Trump and General Donald "Snowbird" Trump Junior!
Can't. Inherited bone spurs.
Starting a war to protect an underage sex abuser and the first casualties are over 80 girls killed in school. Please make this make sense.
What makes sense is to get this charlatan out!
Really, everyone, the question remains: how are we going to do it? It is now way more complicated with the bombing of Iran.
It can’t make sense since it involves Trump. Other than pure evil how do we even describe him.
It makes you wonder if he supports the Iranian practice of not educating women. Although I think Trump and his cabinet prefer not to educate anyone.
Oh yeah they do! Book bans make my blood pressure rocket up, they stand for so much ignorant destructive stupidity.
It doesn't. It won't. 😥
Reich’s right about Trump’s ego, but this isn’t just personal pathology, it’s institutional doctrine. The November 2025 NSS explicitly laid out this playbook: spheres of influence, regional champions, regime change without congressional authorization. Venezuela proved the concept. Iran confirms it’s operational.
The catastrophic costs Reich warns about? Already happening. Iran struck six Arab countries today. Schools bombed (85 children dead in Minab). Sleeper cells activating. Oil markets spiking. But none of this was improvised…it was planned months in advance, coordinated with Israel, documented as official strategy.
Trump’s war for his ego, yes. But he’s using machinery built specifically for this: NSS framework normalizing executive war-making, Gulf state bribes determining targets, compliant institutions enabling constitutional bypass. The ego provides motivation.
The doctrine provides the weapon.
May his dementia and cholesterol quicken.
Yes, like tonight!
Sorry, Mike. Dementia is in my family. No one came close to tRUMP's behavior. However, I agree with the goal. His heart needs to stop ASAP. Preferably in public to ensure that the outcome is verifiable.
In Trump's case dementia just increases his madness.
Truth. 👌
Thank you for this explanation.
You are right, Johan, but a doctrine is like a blueprint. How and when you execute it is of paramount importance. This is why the Constitution entrusts Congress with policy making and execution oversight. Not all Republicans in Congress will be happy with the consequences of this war, which are likely to be far ranging and long lasting..
YOU NAILED THAT FACT
Who is responsible for the 2025 National Security Strategy? Marco Rubio?
Perhaps, but I’d throw Miller & Vought in there. Marco seems like a child wanting to sit at the grownups table.
There is absolutely no legitimate “U.S. public interest” reason for Trump’s illegal attack on Iran.
One thing for sure is that it is NOT because Trump gives a damn about the “people of Iran”
However, the truly scary thing is that there are several reasons why Trump might be motivated to attack Iran.
1) Hope to create a “rally around the president” effect when the nation is engaged in a military conflict;
2) To serve the interests of his fellow war criminal Netanyahu;
3) To generate additional profits for the military industrial complex (perhaps including investments by his own family members?);
4) To divert attention from the Epstein files;
and (God help us)…
5) To create a “national security” pretext for altering/cancelling the 2026 election.
It is indeed terrifying that we are in a situation where the whims of one lunatic has in fact launched us into another war.
So here is the question to pose to Republicans in the House and Senate:
AT LONG LAST, HAVE YOU NO DECENCY? (and no loyalty to the U.S. constitution?)
And possibly to invoke the War Measures Act and cancel the mid-terms.
He said that, it’s #5
Yes to all of your reasons, but most particularly #5:
and (God help us)…5) To create a “national security” pretext for altering/cancelling the 2026 election.
I disagree about the top reason, I place it firmly in the 4) distract from the Epstein files. That was getting really hot & getting closer & closer to him; plus the addition of mob connections & money laundering proof.
You may be right, Ken. unfortunately
That is the question I posed in letters today to senior Democrats, who delayed acting on the War Powers Act at the behest of their donors in the military-industrial complex till they could provide a date for action on it when Trump was ready to give the pre-emptive green light to war. Friday, perfect--gives DT a weekend to start his lovely war and kill him some pre-pubescent girls before Schumer and Jeffries et al. come back Monday morning and say, "Wait--wh didn't you wait for us to vote?!"
Sorry, this ain't the time for a "both sides to blame" argument.
1) yes it is, because all the evidence says they are. But 2) you didn’t read my comment: it is the leaders of the party who delayed and resisted acting in the War Powers, not every single Democrat. The leaders are the ones with the authority and responsiblity to bring the vote to the floor. You should read more investigative reporting on this unconscionable behavior—and do a little research in Open Secrets etc on the leadership’s major donors.
Don’t forget the oil.
Wow -crazy has a brother.
How to get from point "A" to point "B."
The contention that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon Is a sound one. The mentality that drives that country rolled right out of some ancient Muslim text that desires to cleanse their lands by killing all the infidels. One thing I've learned in the time I've been here is you can't break down the doors of religious ignorance by simply knocking on them. The people who dwell in that area of the world remain embittered for what Moses did when his children entered the land of Canaan. It isn't up to me to justify Trump's efforts one way or another, I'm just one man whose voice is being lost in the shuffle. I understand his intentions but rushing into a darkened room can leave you with a terrible headache. Diplomacy would be my first option, however when dealing with people that have proven through the years that they can't be trusted, how can we put any faith in what they say. The only solution to finding out just how extensive Iran's refinement capabilities have progressed, is to look. You can't do that with a Drone. Looking at Trump's support group I see little reason to be overly confident that the road we are on is the correct one. It is of a primary importance to get the Congress involved. For one man to direct this country's initiatives in the world of war, considering who the man is, frightens more than I. Trump is screaming for a regime change, I wonder how the world feels about ours.
Yes, the US sorely needs regime change. Maybe Iranian operatives can do us a favor and take out Trump.
You are lucky to live in the US where your kind of stupidity is protected free speech. If you lived in Iran you would be killed for wishing the Iranian leader dead.
Give that some thought.
So are you, Peter.
But I don’t live in Iran. And at the rate things are going we could well end up with a government as oppressive as Iran. Any way that Trump can be removed from office would make the country a better place.
You guys are not pro-peace at all, you’re on the other side. Cf.
https://instapundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/masiha_alinejad_ilhan_omar_iran_02-28_2026.jpg
If the Republicans want to win, the photo of Ilhan “Ptolemaic” Omar grinning and juxtaposed to the photo of the bloodied Sara Saeidi should be part of the national campaign, similar to the way Fauxcahontas won her first Senate election .
Exactly, Donald. And Hegseth included.
Donald Trump's effort to begin a war in order to detract from the Epstein Files explains why we hear a squishy sound coming from his shoes whenever he walks past. He used the Olympics as a time to release a load of the files because our attention would be elsewhere. Venezuela was another of his efforts to divert our attention away from something he fears terribly. Cannons to the right of him--cannons to the left of him--
"however when dealing with people that have proven through the years that they can't be trusted, how can we put any faith in what they say."
That certainly applies to Trump and his minions. The "talks" were all a sham if this has been planned for months. Do we know what both sides said? Nope. And who do you trust?
I wouldn't trust Trump with a catsup bottle.
I'd be delighted if someone in his "Praetorian Guard" shoved one up his arse, though!
🤣🤣🤣
Thanks, DZK, I needed a laugh today.
👍 🤪
Your screaming for regime change--ours--no doubt was a major reason for Trump's war. His popularity has been sinking fast. When fascists are unable to resolve domestic conflicts they go to wa abroad. Hitler did it, Mussolini did it. the Argentinean generals did it. Was Trump so desperate that he forgot all about Bush's mess in Iraq?
Victor - Definitely Bush’s war - only dumber. Yes, I think he’s desperate. T said that he obliterated their nuclear capabilities but apparently his copy of the dictionary is sitting next to his bible. They are two books that he has never looked at.
They (T/Vance) ran on being the pro-peace platform but look at them now. No amount of war is going to change the Epstein files, housing problems, inflation and cost of living, etc. They claim to care about the children but they bomb them over there and ignore them here. The base is trying hard to make this sound like it’s a good thing even after they claim they elected T to keep us out of war. They claimed that Obama was going to drag us into WWIII but it is T who is trying to do that. T is the one who made a deal with the Taliban. T pulled us out of the Joint Plan with Iran just because Obama did the plan. What did he expect them to do? Without an end goal this is not going to turn out well. Is he expecting to be thanked by Iran for supposedly killing their leader (yes, he was a bad man)? What is our justification for the needless deaths that are coming out of this? I told my spouse to make sure that they fill up our car and gas cans because I don’t know what is going to happen now that T made this choice. Supply lines are going to be attacked again. Hope I’m wrong.
Victor--If history was one of Trump's professors it would have flunked him as well. Trump loves to make his own mistakes.
Donald, we have to be sure Congress gets "involved" the right way, not just rubber-stamping what the crumbling madman in our WH is doing.
Iran's Ayatollah regime is a rotting, dying corpse, and few will lament its demise. This does not mean that the Middle East will finally find peace; the opposite is more likely, for violence begets violence. It is ironic that a moribund, American neo confederate regime has created the anti-Ayatollah.
Iran has been preparing for some time for the eventuality of the Ayatollah's death, hell he was 86. I find it hard to imagine his replacement wasn't standing in the wings. If the successor was in the compound when it was destroyed that's one thing but knowing Trump's love for explosions if I was he I'd stay as far away from the Ayatollah as possible..
Diplomacy would be my first option, however when dealing with people that have proven through the years that they can't be trusted, how can we put any faith in what they say" and they can't believe anything we say.
“It is of a primary importance to get the Congress involved”
What a pity they didn’t get properly involved against Obama’s joke zombie “administration”.
WTF are you talking about?
Don't feed the troll.
All the times Obama bypassed Congress (including the nuclear deal itself) with his boast of “pen and phone”. You guys really can’t complain from that angle.
Yes the idea that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon is a sound one and why the JCPOA was finalized. Trump withdrew from that agreement. Who should not be trusted?
In the 1950s the Dulles brothers at the request of Britain had the CIA overthrow Iran’s democratically elected prime minister because he nationalized the British oil industry. Again, who can’t be trusted? I lived in Tehran a couple of years after the CIA coup because my father was in the Public Health Service. The Iranian people in Tehran were all kind to us.
Many factions came together including the educated elites and communists in the revolution that ousted the repressive Shah we had installed. Unfortunately for all the religious fundamentalists won the power struggle.
British colonialism, American communism containment policy and oil company were the root of this mess.
Send ICE!
Offer additional bonuses to ICE to go to Iran if there's to be boots on the ground, they already have the funding from the BBB (eww).
They're qualified only to attack the vulnerable.
Sounds good to me!
Maybe Palantir will step up with special training.
Notice that the states most "threatened" by Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, etc. Are not sending troops to fight Iran. Neither is Israel. The US is once again being used as an unpaid mercenary army by other countries. During the first gulf war, a reporter asked a Saudi official why Saudi Arabia didn't have a draft, and wasn't sending troops to drive back the Iraqis. His answer, which probably sounded better in Arabic than in translation, was: "We have our white slaves fight for us." And the US never learns.
I am all for requiring Israel to fight the ground war in Iran all by itself. Not one US troop should get involved!
The US is currently probably burning through over $1billion/hr in munitions. Not only does the US need to send not a single troop, they need to pack up and leave the entire region. The US spent over $4Trillion in Iraq and Afghanistan, all borrowed money, which the taxpayer will be paying back for decades. How stupid can a country be?
Israel/Bibi laughs every damn day at how stupid we /tRump is. I'm really tired of being the laughingstock of the world, thanks to one incompetent, narcissistic, criminal moron who calls himself president. If it wasn't so despicable, I'd laugh. But instead I cry!
Israel launched bombs today, didn't it?
It will take 100s of thousands of troops to subdue Iran. Israel won't even send enough troops into Gaza to drive out Hamas.
I was raised in an Air Force family and married into the US Navy. I was always appalled by the war hawks in Congress (this was during Vietnam) who were eager to send other people's kids into war zones, but their own kids got deferments... or desk service at a US military base. We respected Admiral Zumwalt, who was Chief of Naval Operations, because his own son was on the ground in Vietnam. Ultimately, his son died of cancer from exposure to Agent Orange. Adm. Zumwalt always regretted the damage that the war caused to so many people.
Ms Noem is always ready to cosplay in military uniforms. Let's see her do it for real.
The most appalling thing about this current war is that within the first few hours, nearly 100 children were killed, thanks to Israel bombing an elementary school. Nobel Peace Prize, my rosy arse.
Thanks Donna.
I was in the Navy from '68 to '71 when Admiral Zumwalt became Chief of Naval Operations. He was one of the very best Flag Officers to every serve in our Navy. Appointing him was one of the few things Nixon got right!
Cheers... Vote Blue... Gary
He was a true gentleman. (We were brown shoe navy... patrol planes.)
Good idea, Donna. Trump should send her over there in her cowboy hat (then we wouldn't have to see her bee sting lips for awhile -- maybe ever).
What is it about Trump's Women and their extreme "enhancements?" They end up looking like blow-up dolls. Someone get these women some competent cosmetic surgeons!
🤣🤣🤣
My 2nd good laugh from this thread.
Send the ICE Agents to Iran, they've been very well trained, equipped with the latest assault weaponry, electronic surveillance, communications and the best protective gear available.
Hmm, so that 'training' explains why recently DoD in southern Texas recently fired a laser weapon at a CBP drone, took it out, and then notified the FAA, which then closed the airspace after the event was over? Along with the ICE/CBP agents let's send Noem, Bobert, Patel, Miller, Vought, Hegseth, Kennedy, Lipner, Vance and to lead them all into battle in classic battle style let's put Don the Con himself in medieval armor with a shield and a lance on a white charger. Let's send in all the clowns, maybe that will 'terrify' the Iranian leadership into changing their ways! LOL!! ;-)
guess I should have put /s after the "well trained". It's almost but not quite funny how unqualified our leadership is. Kinda Pythonish- knight on the white horse in medieval armor, not the holy grail!
Let's send the GOP House members. They aren't doing a damned thing. Frankly, they wouldn't be missed.
Yes, they all should have to put their lives on the line. Include his children too.
We agree. He better not send our sons and grandson's to fight his war. Best idea would to send Trump himself, but beware of the.dust cloud he will create as he turns tail. You would think a man with 5 deferments would be against war. He is a coward who knows how to run.
We should send every GOP senator and rep who has supported this madman, and everyone in trump's cabinet, to Iran as a foot soldier to fight this absurd and illegal invasion. The GOP could've stopped this, they refused to. The blood is on their hands. And WTF is our military doing? They know damn good and well this is a madman and this entire thing is illegal and as un-American as it gets.
Starting with little Lindsay Graham, followed by John Fetterman, the republican claiming to be a Democrat. Think he's as demented as tRump! Tired of Massie's condemnations, Susan Collins' concerns & Lisa Murkowski's having to have more information. Put them in a real battle for their lives & see what they have to say then!
Don’t forget his complicit guy NETANYAHU. Same sort of relationship/ regime? As you say in the USA ( or we in Europe)this country is dragging many countries into a dangerous mess. What about all the other countries already suffering from Iran (they signed willingly friendship treaties with your own president!)
With the sons of the Congress and Don & Mel’s kids at the helm!?
Illegal it is, a clear violation of the Constitution.
A loose cannon, if ever there was one.
As Luke Skywalker famously said: “I have a bad feeling about this.“
Although this will briefly eclipse calls for the release of the unredacted Epstein files, the eclipse will pass and the calls will resume. This man needs to be removed from office by any means available.
Everything Trump gets involved with seems to die, just like his failed businesses.
Removed immediately before any more problems occur.
Think how the French did it: off with their heads!
Trump needs to be told what happened to Marie Antonette.
Better still, show him pictures. Easier than trying to explain to the 6 year old.
Agents acting for the US murder Americans on city streets; Trump is sacrificing innocent lives to fuel his murderous ego. A veto-proof majority in Congress is required to put a leash on a rabid dog.
Either that or just shoot the rabid dog!
He has the right folks around him in his cabinet to do that.
Your comment made me think of the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
An excellent piece of literature!
This is totally unacceptable, enough is enough. Someone must stop this lunatic. Where is Congress?
Putin used poison dart frog toxin on Navalny. Now he is dead.
Viktoria, I thought at first you meant Putin was dead from poison dart frog toxin, but that moment was short lived. It is immensely sad what happened to Alexei Navalny. Russia's one chance to become a decent part of the world community under his governance. Instead, they continue to be subject to the rule of a power mad, absolutely despicable human.
Kinda like we have.
Interestingly, sometime yesterday the Democratic leadership said they'd bring legislation bolstering the War Powers Act to the floor...next week, Wednesday probably. Oopsie! Presumably Trump took that for a flick of the On button for his war plans. The arms and fossil fuels industries stand, or their executives do, to gain a lot from the carnage. They just love them "the smell of napalm in the morning," and they contribute to major Democrats as well as Republicans. Do whatever you can (take the long view) to start unraveling the power of Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. We are not safe until they are gone, gone, gone.
Certainly not stopping the Insurrection Richard.
Yes, they are just going along with him. What kind of people are in charge of this country?
Fascists.
Incompetents.
Call all your Reps and tell them to get in gear and stop this madness.
Let’s call this what it is: the Epstein cover up wars.
If we all use the same language it will be repeated and the American people will get it. Many avoid looking at news and apparently the average American spends 4 minutes a week on politics. So messaging helps.
It's not only about Epstein. It's about the $$$$$$ they are planning to make and the money they have already made - this war was ordered by Netanyahu and the oligarchs. It's also about trump's fear of the midterms. Democracy is being given Last Rights.
Trump is just afraid. Period.
Exactly
Epstein is Dead and forgotten and the problem is Deadbeat Trump. Wake Up!
People pressure Congress. Take to the streets, talk to other people. This has to be stopped and we all have a part to play.
Tell your reps in both houses - It’s time for the 25th Amendment! The entire planet is at stake. Those aren't acorns falling out of the sky...
The 25th amendment is not the answer. It is initiated by the VP and majority of Cabinet members. Their willingness to carry out DJT policies shows they will not defy him now. Yes, tell House and Senate Republicans they must become bipartisan to enact policies to stop DJT immediately.
Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution - the President, Vice President, and all civil officers can be removed from office through impeachment for committing treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
True, altho impeachment requires majority vote in House and 2/3 in Senate. For immediate brakes on DJT, there must be bipartisan action. GOP has to gain courage to vote against prez.
The amendment can br invoked by members of the cabinet or *any group deemed by Congress*. I don't expect this Congress to make up a group to invoke the 25th, but maybe after Nivember.
No, Trump and Netanyahu are going to war because they both need to wag the dog. Heaven help us.
You're right. We've got two men here who will both go to jail the minute they lose their positions as president. They're both frantic to keep that from happening.
Betsy, 80 little girls die in the ruins of their school in Minab as part of a process to prevent Netanyahu and Trump going to jail when their time in power ends. 72,000 Gazans die for the same reason. People to these two monsters are valueless. Both should be relieved of their powerful positions and face the consequences of their war crimes. The rest of their lives in jail.
He gave it away the other day when he said something about how he told Iran that if they didn’t comply with his demands regarding nuclear capability, they would pay the price. Not much different than a mobster walking into a store and saying, “Nice business you got here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.“ I can’t wait to see this criminal go to jail.
We are now living in a true dictatorship. I have no confidence in a Congress that has shown itself to be absolutely spineless and craven. We need to tear the whole rotten system down. There is no "patching" this up.
Perhaps Congress was not even consulted? IF the were, SHAME on them!
Nope they weren’t
It is axiomatic that no matter how serious the issue the liberal reaction will montypythonise it.
Lots of good stuff that one doesn’t have time to go through, but this is a killer. You take the authorisation published by Zombama for the assault on Libya (remember?), score out “Libya” and write “Iran”, and there you have it.
And remember Zombama’s “phone and pen”? The Donald “won”. Deal with it.
This administration will soon pay their price!!
Hey, 30% of Americans still support anything he does. What does that say?! As I keep saying, the main benefit of T.O.M. (the orange man) is that he keeps pointing out to us all the places where our democracy and constitution can fail and need rethinking in these modern times. If we ever get rid of him, it will be time for a civil-minded revolution about how to prevent this from happening again. Right now, there is no guarantee for that. Especially in our country that has been transposed from a previously peaceful WE, to a US vs THEM.
BUT! Just where are the legal eagles out there consulting the Constitution? Employing it? I can’t help but really wonder…are they ALL asleep at the wheel!?!
Not asleep at the wheel. They are in so deep themselves that they WILL to go prison, too. So, they have to keep this up until the whole worlds is in ruins and there's nobody left to put them in jail.
Cowed into submission Elizabeth.
All the Donald and his team have to do is cite precedents established by the Demsheviks, and stick to them, as noted above.
Robert the troll has posted again.
And Lauren Booth is still unoriginal.
Asleep? Apparently.
How can there still be 30%. Who are they? No concern about US inhumanity to man happening either actively or passively? 🤯
I think the line is letting slip the dogs, or that Trump is wagging his dog. Repeat as long as necessary- WAR CRIME - WAR CRIME - WAR CRIME
Whoops DRAFT Barron & all the children of the Republicans who support this illegal preemptive war
Barron inherited his father's bone spurs.
Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?
“Chaos is come again.”
Looks like somebody did:
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/02/28/breaking-iranian-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-is-dead-n4950085
And to pay back the bribes he got from the Gulf countries (a 747, a lot of money poured into his crypto ventures, licenses for more hotels to slap his name on, ...). Welcome to the dictatorship.
Trump of course must be removed. Perhaps this will convince a few R congress people to give up their R membership and go independent.
It's WAAAY past time to use the 25th Amendment! We MUST DO IT NOW! There's ample proof of trump's insanity, corruption and incompetence...
I wonder what the Doomsday Clock is at right now? My guess would be 3 minutes to midnight.
Paula, the clock was moved up a few weeks ago: 85 seconds to midnight. Less than 1.5 minutes. For what it's worth, closer to midnight than at any time before.
Some of them are already doing it. They see the writing on the wall.