But they failed every time. Armed Hungarian families stood in the way on several occasions from the early 1500s. And defensive Christian armies ended the jihad assaults in 1683. Until Vienna opened her borders to illegal immigration in the 21st century. Update from September, 2024:
"In Vienna, a quondam capital of Western culture, 70% of all the students in the public schools are Muslim, and their percentage increases with each year that passes. This has caused all sorts of problems, with Muslims harassing girls who do not follow a strict dress code, to complaining about everything from non-halal meats served in the school cantines, to the absence of a Muslim prayer room, to certain subjects that they are unwilling to study. Then there is the terrific expense of additional classes in German language training and violent threats made by Muslim students to teachers, staff, and classmates. Teachers, unable to stand the strain, are leaving their Viennese posts in droves."
-- Hugh Fitzgerald
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.