President Donald Trump’s early-morning tirade against Republicans, Democrats, NATO, and Iran revealed a commander in chief seemingly anxious to end his Iran war — which he now wants to recast as a “military operation” — even as he insisted the Middle Eastern nation is “begging” for a deal, one he warned may not come.
“Even Trump, it seems, may be losing patience with the war he started,” writes Bill Kristol at The Bulwark, suggesting that he “may be looking for an off ramp.”
“The Wall Street Journal reported last night that Trump ‘has told associates in recent days that he wants to avoid a protracted war in Iran and that he hopes to bring the conflict to an end in the coming weeks’ because it’s ‘distracting from his other priorities,'” Kristol noted.
While Trump has indicated that he is in negotiations with Iran — which they have at times denied — he has threatened to continue, and even ramp up his attacks, as he sends more troops to the area.
Kristol noted that Trump “may now be dramatically expanding” the war with troops on the ground.
“Republicans on the Hill are frustrated,” saying that they’re not getting enough answers, Kristol continued, while noting that “they’re unwilling to act. Which means this is not just Trump’s war. It is the GOP’s war.”
But, “Trump and some Republicans don’t want to call it a war,” Kristol observed. “Trump said last night that he’s avoiding describing the conflict as a ‘war’ because Congress hasn’t authorized it.”
“I won’t use the word ‘war’ because they say, if you use the word ‘war,’ that’s maybe not a good thing to do,” Trump said. “They don’t like the word ‘war,’ because you’re supposed to get approval, so I’ll use the word ‘military operation,’ which is what it really is.”
Kristol added that “in his same speech last night Trump did use the word ‘war,’ saying, ‘The war essentially ended a few days after we went in.’ On Tuesday, Trump had pointed out that ‘people don’t like me using the word ‘war,’ so I won’t, but the Democrats call it a war.'”
