Dem
47
GOP
53
Democrats don't know what to say or do about Iran. Polls showed that Republican voters were strongly against bombing Iran—until Trump actually did it. Then suddenly they are for it. If Dear Leader is for something, then they are for it. That's the way it goes. But Democrats are at a loss for a response.
If the bombing was a spectacular success, that would be one thing, but reports in the past day suggest that Trump's statement that they obliterated Iran's nuclear capacity is completely wrong. At most, it looks like the attack may have set Iran's nuclear program back a few months. Democrats could say the bombing failed to do the job, due to Trump's totally incompetent choices for secretary of defense and especially DNI, but so far they haven't gone down that road. They also could make a point of objecting to bypassing Congress and attacking another country on his own. But no. In fact, instead of presenting a unified front, they are all over the map.
For example, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said: "No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy." But the former #2 Democrat in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), contradicted Jeffries, saying: "The U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan... was essential to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon." Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) stated the obvious: "There are widely varied views." Rep Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, helpfully noted: "This is a complicated one." Good for her. Usually, the opposition party is united. After all, as Lord Randolph Churchill put it, the duty of the Opposition is to oppose. But this one is tricky enough that the Democrats can't even do that.
At least one Democrat, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), had something useful to say: "I don't think Trump has a clue what the hell he's doing. I mean, just follow his postings on Truth Social. I mean, I get whiplash, like from moment to moment, trying to figure it out." Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) at least went after the Republicans for their disunity, saying: "Republicans are not united either against regime change one minute and then he's for it the next." Still, the real message is "Democrats in disarray," also known as "dog bites man." (V)