There was high-wire diplomacy. Brinksmanship. Apocalyptic threats. Saber-rattling with 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs. (Holy alliteration, Batman! Between those “bunker-busting bombs” and the “Big Beautiful Bill,” someone in the White House is a big fan of the letter B. And, weirdly enough, Trump’s #1 foreign ally is… Bibi.) Even our 211-year-old “Star Spangled Banner” seemed to foretell the chilling consequences: the “rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air.”
That’s what the pre-bombing debate in the U.S. sounded like: The end is nigh!
It was Armageddon, we were told, by way of Tehran.
(Old George Carlin joke: “We’re a warlike people… America has the only national anthem that mentions rockets and bombs in the [censored] thing!”)
Meanwhile, the naysayers were predicting a complete and total disaster: Trump was about to destroy the Republican Party and end the American Empire by plunging us into yet another “Forever War.” The Iranian mullahs were talking tough and vowing to crush any potential American/Israeli/infidel invasion… and here on the home front, some of the biggest names in the MAGA movement were actually agreeing with the Iranians!
In particular: Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Fortunately, the naysayers were spectacularly wrong. Thousands of Americans did NOT die when we bombed Iran. There was NO World War III. Cowering in fear of the mighty mullahs, it turned out, was entirely unnecessary.
The exact opposite was true. They were even weaker than we thought.
At the 1992 Republican National Convention, Ronald Reagan addressed the nation for the very last time. In his final primetime speech, Reagan reminded his countrymen of the profound changes we had just witnessed:
It wasn't so long ago that the world was a far more dangerous place… It was a world where our leaders told us that standing up to aggressors was dangerous — that American might and determination were somehow obstacles to peace.
But we stood tall and proclaimed that communism was destined for the ash heap of history. We never heard so much ridicule from our liberal friends. The only thing that got them more upset was two simple words: "Evil Empire."
But we knew then what the liberal Democrat leaders just couldn't figure out: the sky would not fall if America restored her strength and resolve. The sky would not fall if an American president spoke the truth. The only thing that would fall was the Berlin Wall.
It’s remarkable how history repeats itself. At times, it practically has a stutter (and/or Tourette’s Syndrome). “Peace through strength” still resonates, because it reflects an indelible truth about human nature: If you’re unwilling to prepare for war, you’re unworthy of experiencing peace.
I wish humanity were different. I wish evil didn’t exist. But you can’t “wish away” a mortal threat. You’ve gotta man up and deal with it.
Perhaps famed philosopher and American entrepreneur Al Capone put it best: “You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.”
(And in lieu of a gun, how ‘bout a dozen-or-so 30,000-pound bombs?)
The week-that-was in political PR was a helluva wacky one. Let’s review the highlight reel, shall we?
PRedictions: The dominos haven’t finished falling in the Middle East. Not even close! What’s happened since the dark day of Oct. 7, 2023 has been nothing short of transformative. When night fell on Oct. 7, Israel was a nation in decline; Iran was zeroing in on regional hegemony. Between its proxies in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Gaza (Hamas), Yemen (Houthis), and Syria (Assad), it had Israel surrounded. And its nuclear WMD program continued to progress.
Meanwhile, Israel wasn’t even able to prevent a makeshift guerrilla army from crisscrossing its border and slaughtering thousands! Israel and Iran certainly seemed to be two nations moving in opposite directions.
Less than two years later, you can toss that old narrative in the toilet. Virtually every proxy and/or vassal of Iran has been eliminated. Their nuclear program is kaput. Their scientists and generals were assassinated. Most of their ballistic weapons and missile launchers were obliterated. They can’t even protect the skies over downtown Tehran!
Iran’s capacity to project regional power has been crippled. It’s not even clear if the mullahs will be able to stave off the upcoming domestic uprising. (Stay tuned!)
It’s not only “morning again” in America: It’s a bright new day across the entire Middle East.
PRojections: Power is currency. Right now, the Israelis are perfectly positioned to build on the Abraham Accords, possibly with a peace treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Israelis (and not the Americans, thank goodness) can be the Saudi’s regional peace guarantors; in return, Saudi Arabia — the most important nation in the Sunni world — will encourage the rest of the Arabs to make peace with the Jews.
There really, truly could be peace in the Holy Land. It would be one of the biggest, most far-reaching diplomatic achievements in human history. Trump isn’t particularly shy about claiming credit, but in this case, it would be absolutely warranted.
He’s probably the only president of our lifetime who could’ve pulled it off.
I hope it works. More people should visit the Holy Land. (Although, I’ve gotta say, the Whaling Wall was deeply disappointing: What a tourist rip-off! Despite all the hype, I didn’t see ANY harpoons there at all. But at least a lot of the locals dressed up as Blackbeard. Anyhoo…)
PRaise: We’re gonna be hearing an awful lot about Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat’s nominee for New York mayor. Over the next few months, he’ll become one of the most famous politicians in America.
For U.S. socialists, this is the moment they’ve been dreaming of. And since socialists are (vastly) overrepresented in print, television, social media, and the news, Mamdani’s acolytes will push him to the heavens. He’s gonna be everywhere.
If you’re a socialist, this is a generational opportunity to familiarize the American people with the tenets of socialism. You’re NOT gonna let it go!
And… if you’re a Republican, this is ALSO a generational opportunity to familiarize the American people with the tenets of socialism. We better not let it go, either! If MAGA plays its cards right, Mamdani will be the gift that keeps on giving.
When both sides are incentivized to promote something, it gets promoted. That bodes well for Mamdani.
So kudos to Kid Commie. He did what he had to do — and even if/when New York City comes to its senses and elects someone else as mayor, Mamdani’s future is secure. Either at Gracie Mansion or inside of an MSNBC studio, we haven’t heard the last of the Big Apple Bolshevik. (Hey, more alliteration with the letter “B”…!)
PRedators: It’s not going to happen. We KNOW it’s not going to happen. But that doesn’t mean we should stop pushing for it to happen.
And that’s expecting an apology from Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
For MAGA to grow, we need to be able to handle rigorous debate over sensitive issues. This requires mature, grown-up behavior from mature, grown-up men and women. Because, the debate over Iran was just the tip of the iceberg: Over the next three years of Trump’s term — but especially in the years that follow — MAGA must learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.
Otherwise, the Democrats will eat our lunch.
This requires holding our “thought leaders” accountable when they attempt stupidly divisive, attention-seeking, low-I.Q. PR stunts, such as calling the Republicans who supported Israel and/or America bombing the Iranian nuclear sites “secretly gay.” C’mon, that’s just idiotic. Even if I were on Tucker’s side, I’d be embarrassed by his tactics.
That’s the kind of crap that even a middle schooler would roll his eyes over.
Tucker Carlson is still an enormously skilled communicator, and a marvelous advocate of MAGA-friendly causes, including immigration. Steve Bannon is still one of the shrewdest minds in the political game. And Marjorie Taylor Greene… has nice hair and (mostly) votes the right way.
Excommunicating ‘em isn’t the answer.
We should always try to leave a path in the wilderness, so disaffected voices can find a way back home. Movements grow through inclusion, not exclusion. And with the House of Representatives so closely divided, the last thing we ought to be doing is cannibalizing conservative voices.
And ironically, the best way to do that is by standing strong when someone such as Tucker Carlson tries to win a public policy debate via character assassination, ad hominem personal attacks, and/or slinging barrels of mud. There was no need for his scorched-earth tactics. You don’t treat your friends the way you treat your enemies.
We’re better than that.
One hopes that next time, Tucker Carlson will be, too.
