Donald Trump is waging a two-front war.
In Iran, the downing of an American F-15 fighter jet, with the spectacular rescue of the missing second crew member, announced by the president yesterday, was fantastic news thanks to special ops teams who risked their lives to find him. But the fact that the plane was shot down unfortunately undercuts that the murderous mullahs have no ability to fight back. And it highlights what soldiers have always known: War is hell.Â
The same goes for the Iranians downing an A-10 attack plane, and though the pilot was quickly rescued, it shows the unpredictable nature of war.Â
At home, Trump has been firing top aides, and targeting others for dismissal. The ouster of Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, and media reports about whos next, has fueled anxiety throughout . The only person whos probably safe at this point is Jared, given his son-in-law status.
There is some connective tissue between these ongoing battles. They reflect a president who busts through the guardrails, scolds his allies, launches a surprise war with little explanation, and turns on those he deems insufficiently loyal.
To his supporters, Trump gets results because hes not afraid to take risks that have paralyzed previous presidents grappling with the worlds leading terror state.
To his detractors, Trump is impulsive and reckless, boxing himself into impossible corners by failing to adequately plan for the inevitable consequences.
By any fair yardstick, U.S. and Israeli warplanes have decimated Irans military machine with a remarkably low casualty rate.    Â
And Irans cheap-to-produce drones have caused some injuries to Americans at military bases in surrounding Arab countries, and also inflicted damage on Israel, wounding numerous residents.
Asked by NBCs Garrett Haake in a phone call whether the downing of the F-15 â before the rescue â would affect his negotiations with Iran, Trump said, “No, not at all. No, its war. , Garrett.”
One reason the presidents prime-time speech fell short is that the public expected him to declare victory and get out, not threaten to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” And will he actually wrap things up in “two to three weeks,” which is his standard refrain for some time in the future?
For the president to urge European nations to just “take” the Strait of Hormuz â after having declared that he wouldnt end the war without a deal to break the Iranian blockade â shows the mixed messages that have marked this conflict.
And then, having washed his hands of anything having to do with Hormuz, Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday: “Open the F—– Strait, you crazy b——s.”
Uh, which is it? Depends on when you ask him. (CNN ran the quote as a banner, uncensored.)
Trump is touting Irans parliament speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, as someone he can do business with. But Ghalibaf has repeatedly mocked him, posting: “This brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from regime change to Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?”
Perhaps the president will lose confidence in him the way he did with Pam Bondi.
The now-former attorney general did a terrible job, from botching the Epstein files to refusing to engage with the pedophiles victims to insulting Democrats at a hearing in which she proudly proclaimed that this was a distraction from the Dow topping 50,000.
Bondi unloaded on Jamie Raskin, who led Democrats during Trumps second impeachment: “You dont tell me anything, you washed-up loser lawyer. Youre not even a lawyer!?” (Raskin is a graduate of Harvard Law School and taught constitutional law at American University.)
But that only partially explains her removal. Bondi did everything she could to prosecute Trumps political enemies. But charges against James Comey and Letitia James were tossed out by judges or blocked by grand juries that refused to indict.
Its worth dwelling on how o
