Notable Quotable: Claire McCaskill On War On Iran
It's easy to fantasize about winning a war, especially when the war room spins news in that direction. But those in the know see a very different outcome. A former general spoke of U. S. navy ships being incinerated if they enter the Strait of Hormuz.
Today, former U.S. Senator, Claire McCaskill, spoke candidly about the reality no one in this administration is willing to talk about out loud.
"We have a situation where the people who know best what a terrible collision course our country is on right now are by and large silenced.
"I have to think there's a cold wind blowing through the Pentagon right now, because if you look at what they say—they're actually saying the objective now is to open the Strait of Hormuz. In other words, our objective in this war is to fix the problem this war caused.
"The notion that everyone is thinking, and I think it's important to point out, the idea is that Iran has a more hardened leadership now than before we started the war. This isn't a regime change. This is a hardening of their extreme views. Their views are that this is for Allah, and not for the people of Iran. This is worse, not better, this regime.
"The idea that they're sitting around, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for us to come in—not with boots on the ground, these are human beings on the ground, men and women, sons and daughters of America."
What do you feel about the U.S. war on Iran?
Well Street
I haven't sought out the opinions of former members of the military hired as commentators for right-wing media, so my opinion is one-sided. They may have a uniquely informed perspective on why the "excursion" was necessary, and how it's going well for the US.
The president's speech, which was meant to spell out the motivations behind the war and a concise path forward, did little to provide clarity or calm the worries of America's citizens or of the markets. Rather, it strengthened the view that, as the cartoon depicts, he and our country are painted into a corner.
Iran and Russia's governments will be flush with cash, while US consumers are receiving repeated swift kicks to the groin. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens have been displaced and apparently won't be allowed to return to their homes anytime soon. Likely, a percentage of those individuals will want revenge and radicalize.
If this is what winning looks like, less of it would be nice.