News Vérité

On May 1, 2003, President Geroge W. Bush, aka “Dubya,” stood on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and proclaimed, with banner and words, “Mission Accomplished” in the U.S.-Iraqi War. Problem was, terrorist groups rose from the ashes and that conflict came roarin’ back. Dubya’s words were:  “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed … because the regime [of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein] is no more.” After this proclamation, fighting in Iraq continued for another eight years. Now, in Iran — so far, at least — we have not committed any ground forces, so presumably once Iran’s military might is no more, we can simply quit bombing and leave the rest to the people of Iran, which President Donald Trump has been urging all along. In short, Operation Epic Fury is not necessarily about U.S.-led regime change. That task is being left to the Iranians. Good luck, huh? Even if the remaining Iranian guardsmen have only rifles, they will have more than the population. They can mow down insurrections as easily as they are accustomed to. My point is, though I’m certainly not rooting against our success, is

Three days into the war with Iran and President Trump is sullen, refusing to talk to reporters, and clearly freaked out that matters aren’t going his way in Persia. He thought that, by now, he could find the Iranian male equivalent of Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez, the VP “turncoat” to Nicolas Maduro who is now running things to the beat of Donald Trump and crew in the South American nation. What a frustrated Trump is suffering from I’ve labeled “Turncoat Derangement Syndrome,” or another form of TDS, now virulent in many forms in the White House. (A little over a week ago, Trump succumbed to another TDS — Tariff Derangement Syndrome — when the Supreme Court stripped him of willy-nilly authority to raise tariffs whenever he saw fit, for whatever reason.) On the flight back to D.C. aboard Air Force One, Trump stayed locked in his cabin, not interacting with reporters. Deboarding Air Force One, he was still sullen and didn’t interact with reporters; the same happened when the Marine One helicopter landed at the White House. Shouts of “find my Iranian Delcy” could be heard emanating from the Oval Office as the president huddled with aides after his return from

Watching BBC News, I was reminded during an interview with an Israeli pundit, who had previously predicted the Iranian onslaught that began yesterday, of just how fickle Donald Trump can be. He said that Trump, maybe within four days — pick a number, he added — Trump might totally reverse course and call for a truce and ceasefire. This would, of course, run counter to the desires of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sees the dismantling of the Iranian regime and firepower taking weeks, not days. Whoever this BBC pundit was, he was referring to the gentleman we all know as President TACO — Trump Always Chickens Out. With the news today that three U.S. service personnel have died in Iranian counterstrikes, Mr. TACO may be mapping a strategy. “I’ll give them two more days,” this version of Trump might be saying to himself, referring to the Israeli masterminds behind this military action. At any rate, my prediction is that our beloved TACO will resurface by Wednesday. He may call for a cessation of military action while he and his people pursue renewed talks, but I don’t envision this war lasting weeks, as Bibi wants. Son-in-law Jared Kushner to