Dem
47
GOP
53
You must keep in mind that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu works for Donald Trump. After all, Trump says so. And so, when Trump calls up Netanyahu, and tells him to stop bombing Iran/Lebanon, the PM says, "How high?" Or... well... something like that.
Then again, maybe not. There was indeed such a phone call. In fact, several such phone calls. And Netanyahu, providing a clear demonstration that he is not Mike Johnson, just kept bombing away, no matter what Trump told him to do. Iran, of course, fired back, as did Hezbollah. We saw several outlets yesterday with headlines that said things like, "Exchange of missiles means ceasefire may be imperiled." "May be?" We continue to take the position that the moment that missiles start flying, there is no longer a cease fire. We're wacky like that.
The fundamental problem here is that the Israeli populace has veered rightward during its current war. And, perhaps more significantly, Netanyahu leads a fragile, right-wing governing coalition that has grown harder right during the current war. And so, Netanyahu is being pulled in one direction by Trump, and in a different direction by the people who are keeping him in power (and out of prison). The PM is no fool, and knows exactly which side his challah is buttered on, if he is forced to choose.
Meanwhile, yesterday Iran shot down an American helicopter. Trump promptly got onto his Kissinger-is-turning-in-his-grave social media platform to conduct a little "diplomacy," and fired off this missive:
I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The circumstances of the shooting are unclear (for example, it could have been a case of mistaken identity). But by going off half-cocked (and we mean that on multiple levels), Trump yet again painted himself into a corner. Following through on the threat risks escalating the war, something he clearly does not want to do. But if he TACOs (and it was Tuesday, after all), then he looks weak before the international community, the American people and, perhaps most importantly, the Iranians, who will dig in even further when it comes to making demands in negotiations.
Late last night, the U.S. did counterattack, though details are sparse. The Iranians then fired back, hitting U.S. targets in the region, most obviously a base in Bahrain. All of this could just be face-saving ballet, or it could be the prelude to renewed fighting. We'll know in 48 hours or so, we suppose. Trump says that, despite all of this, peace talks are going well, and the end is near. Anyone who believes that, raise your hand. Yeah, that's what we thought. (Z)