A Change in Plans

Thirty-five days ago, regime collapse was conspicuously (and wisely) not articulated as a military objective. If it happened, great, but if it didn’t, so be it.

Conventional wisdom and history said you can’t achieve regime collapse solely from bombing.

If Iran were to be the exception, the reason had to be a popular uprising.

Thirty-five days ago, the importance of the military objectives alone justified taking military action. Iran’s response to its defeat in the Twelve-Day War made this action inevitable. Iran doubled down on building offensive missiles. The nuclear work would continue, but first an intimidating conventional missile force would be produced. Israel’s Iron Dome was good, but it could be overcome by overwhelming numbers of missiles being fired simultaneously. Iron Dome’s anti-missile missiles are incredibly precise and agile, but also expensive. Iran’s missiles are crude, less accurate, but relatively cheap.

Militarily, everything has gone well — better than well — for 35 days.

The uprising has not occurred — yet. Maybe it will, maybe not. The possibility that it wouldn’t was always part of the plan.

What was not part of the plan was the reaction of Democrats, Europe, and the press. In a word, the reaction of the “Left.” For decades, the Left joined the consensus in condemning Iran and in proclaiming that Iran should never get a nuclear weapon. Now, on the very first day of a serious action to deny Iran a nuclear weapon, the Left condemned Trump and Israel and started cheerleading for Iran.

Today, if America and Israel were to declare victory and quit bombing, any objective assessment of the last 35 days would agree that they were indeed victorious. The Left, however, would proclaim it to be a humiliating, expensive, wasteful defeat.

The consequence would be this: Iran learns they can build back with impunity, and Israel learns they are one American election away from being abandoned.

The original plan did not include the destruction of bridges, power plants, and industrial infrastructure. If that occurs, it will be solely because the Left raised the stakes.

G-Pub

PS: The Left is not acting solely from TDS. They are motivated also by ADS (America Derangement Syndrome) and IDS (Israel Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as anti-semitism). Letting them off the hook by saying they only hate Trump is far too kind. They Hate America. And, They Hate Jews.