The Fog of War Against Iran

To his credit, President Trump resisted putting an end date on the Iran war in his speech to the nation on Wednesday night. In some ways, that’s just a nod to reality: The regime in Tehran came into being with an act of war against the United States; “Death to America” is not a mere slogan, it is the driving ambition of the revolutionary Shiite government, an assertion of its identity as champion of the global jihad against the West. The regime is poised to survive this latest round of fighting, and as long as it does, its war against the United States will continue.

Regrettably, that’s not the reality to which our president was nodding. Instead, he’s stuck on a fact that is less momentous, except to him: He hasn’t yet reckoned how to bow out with something that looks nearly as successful politically as it has been militarily.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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To his credit, President Trump resisted putting an end date on the Iran war in his speech to the nation on Wednesday night. In some ways, that’s just a nod to reality: The regime in Tehran came into being with an act of war against the United States; “Death to America” is not a mere slogan, it is the driving ambition of the revolutionary Shiite government, an assertion of its identity as champion of the global jihad against the West. The regime is poised to survive this latest round of fighting, and as long as it does, its war against the United States will continue.

Regrettably, that’s not the reality to which our president was nodding. Instead, he’s stuck on a fact that is less momentous, except to him: He hasn’t yet reckoned how to bow out with something that looks nearly as successful politically as it has been militarily.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.