France is being destroyed internally by arson, the murder of citizens, and the open defiance of all law, order, and moral restraint. But the greater destructive force is cowardly and amoral politicians who appease and excuse the criminals.
Opposition leader Marine LePen has warned about this coming national suicide for two decades. But only now are middle class citizens paying serious attention to her position. Some predict she will be the next, and possibly last, French president. Three days ago she addressed the nation. One excerpt:
"In a republic that respects itself, no event, no matter how dramatic, no cause, no matter how emotional can legitimize an anarchy that wants to make itself permanent, with attacks against the police and firefighters, the sackings of town halls, the burning of schools or the looting of shops.
Polarized politicians and unions who have taken on the responsibility of morally exonerating these criminal acts have likewise come out of the government; they will carry an indelible responsibility before the nation and history."
Mr. Trump loves the "high ratings" of a celebrity and election victories for his legacy. A clean and magnanimous victory over Iran might have provided that. But a two-year quagmire will destroy his legacy, his party, our military and much of the younger generation. And Valerie Jarret will be making policy in 2028.
If the President wanted good "optics" in this imprudent and dangerous war, he would have declared an epic victory immediately after the death of the Ayatollah, pulled American assets home, and arranged the equivalent of a ticker-tape parade for them.
But it has been two full days since the decapitation, and young American bodies are being placed in coffins.
"U.S. missile and air-defense interceptor inventories have been severely drawn down by the relentless pace of recent [Iran] operations, revealing that between defending Israel, Ukraine, and itself, the American military is spread too thin. Replenishing these high-end systems can take over a year, analysts say, because production lines are optimized for peacetime and cannot be surged overnight.
"We know for sure that China is thrilled to see America weakened. They will view Iran as Joe Biden viewed Ukraine: as an opportunity to cripple a global rival (the Russian Federation.) Keep an eye out for headlines about Chinese efforts to prolong this conflict."
-- Tucker Carlson
Maybe, at most, a week long. He expected an immediate regime change and then surrender.
Remember the Sand People? Those primitive Houthis? The US spent $7 billion bombing the Houthis over about 6-7 weeks and failed to degrade the Houthis’ ability to attack with missiles.
The problem with Iran is much worse. This week, the US and Israel may burn through the last offensive and defensive munitions, including interceptors. Will Iran surrender at that point, or escalate with their larger arsenal of missiles?
If you are not praying for Pete Hegseth, you should be.