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 that you can never be sure if what you’ve accomplished won’t come back to bite you. Even yesterday, Trump himself admitted that the next leader of Iran might be just as evil as the dead one, the late Ayatollah Khamenei.
My humble advice to the president: Don’t do a Dubya Redux in proclaiming ironclad success.
One clear connection between Dubya’s war and Trump’s war: The USS Abraham Lincoln [pictured, with Bush speaking] is now a major part of Epic Fury.
