In the hours between the news that America had bombed three uranium enrichment sites in Iran and President Donald Trump giving a brief press statement about the operation, I saw it all on social media.
First, the fake videos of animated explosives, then the ones of real explosions that happened years ago. There were Never Trumpers celebrating the president they had deplored. And Trump influencers cursing him. I saw the political prognostications: Vice President J.D. Vance down, Secretary of State Marco Rubio up. MAGA hawks triumphant, America First “isolationists” defeated, demoralized. The only thing more reactive than enriched uranium is everyone’s status anxiety. Even mine.
I unsubscribed from a listserv that told restrainers like me to “take the L.” I saw one of my favorite historians applaud the return of “peace through strength.” (Is peace back? It seems that things are still on fire. A “fiery but mostly peaceful” air strike?) I saw many people declaring their relief that that bombing had happened and some people urging more action: a follow-up strike to remove the uranium, or to further cripple the Iranian regime.
Then the president delivered his statement. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” he said, flanked by Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Rubio. “If they do not” make peace, Trump said, “future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”
Forgive me for being the skunk at the garden party, but I don’t think we yet know what the hell just happened. I don’t think the White House fully knows yet.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Michael Brendan Dougherty
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://bariweiss.substack.com feed and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
