Iraq War

Donald Trump Public Opinion Rating In Wartime Collapsing

Ronald 45 Comments

Donald Trump’s Iran War is causing a collapse in his popularity, which already was under water.

His lack of strategy, and his reckless incitement for war, when Iran was not a direct threat anytime soon on America, is an indication of how dangerous a wartime leader he is.

Trump is attacking NATO nations for refusal to engage in a war that was not essential, and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is causing a massive oil and gasoline crisis, with motorists now paying one dollar more per gallon, compared to three weeks ago, when the war began.

The overall cost of living is skyrocketing, and that is bad news for Republicans in the upcoming Midterm Elections of 2026, the reason why Donald Trump is trying to interfere with the right to vote, and trying to destroy the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to fix the elections for Republicans.

Traditionally, the midterm elections always see a decline in the number of seats controlled by the President’s party, and a real landslide for Democrats looks likely, assuming Trump cannot succeed in his mission to limit the right to vote, through the proposed SAVE America Act.

The history of Presidents seeing popularity drop during wartime is stark:

Harry Truman had reached a high of 69 percent in 1949, but during the Korean War in 1952, his rating dropped to 22 percent, minus 47 points.

Lyndon B. Johnson had reached a high of 78 percent in 1963, after he succeeded the assassinated John F. Kennedy, but during the Vietnam War, his rating in 1968 dropped to 35 percent, minus 43 points.

Jimmy Carter had reached a high of 58 percent in January 1980, but in the next five months of the Iranian hostage crisis, his rating dropped to 27 percent, minus 31 points.

George W. Bush had reached a high of 90 percent after September 11, 2001, but in the midst of the Iraqi Civil War intervention in 2007, his rating dropped to 29 percent, minus 61 points.

And Joe Biden had reached a high of 56 percent in June 2021, but after the Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021, his rating dropped to 43 percent, minus 13 points.

Trump has reached a low of 36 percent at this time, and is likely to go lower.

Lowest Public Opinion Support Of Iran War Of Any War After One Week Of Conflict!

Ronald 24 Comments

Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran has led to the lowest public opinion rating of support for any war since World War II.

Statistics show the following, according to a NY Times survey:

World War II 1941–97 percent
Afghanistan War 2001–92 percent
Persian Gulf War 1991–82 percent
Panama Intervention 1989–80 percent
Iraq War 2003–76 percent
Korean War 1950–75 percent
Vietnam War Escalation 1965-60 percent
Kosovo Intervention 1999–58 percent
Grenada Intervention 1983–53 percent
Libya Intervention 2011–47 percent
Iran War 2026–41 percent

With no plan, no clearcut understanding why diplomacy was abandoned by Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and Marco Rubio, America is now in a crisis of rising oil and gasoline prices, and lack of support from usual allies in wartime.

And Iran is now blockading the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of all oil worldwide is transported, a major crisis!

Emergence Of Anti Iran War MAGA Republicans Could Affect Midterm Elections Of 2026, And Presidential Election Of 2028!

Ronald 73 Comments

Now that the United States is in Week Two of the Iran War, and with the son of the late Ayatollah being annointed his successor, it seems clear that America is on the road to a long, massive, expensive, disastrous intervention in the Middle East, without any certainty of success, similar to the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

And opposition is starting to emerge, from many so called MAGA Republicans, against the military intervention, some of it openly, and some of it behind the scenes.

Openly critical individuals this early include:

Tucker Carlson
Steve Bannon
Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Congresswoman from Georgia
Thomas Massie, Congressman from Kentucky
Rand Paul, Senator from Kentucky

Behind the scenes, based on past views about military intervention, and support of “isolationism” expressed, would include the following:

Vice President JD Vance
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

The latter two are being very quiet at this point, but their past record of viewpoints clashes with what Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and apparently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio are promoting.

So there could be a battle brewing for the future of the Republican Party, based on what happens in the midterms, and as the Republican Party starts to look at its future direction.

It is hard to imagine Vance openly breaking with his party and his “boss”, the President of the United States, but it is perceived by many that had Vice President Kamala Harris expressed more differences with her “boss”, Joe Biden, possibly, the result in the Presidential Election of 2024 might have been different.

If Vance was to “break” with Trump, he still would be Vice President, but it would encourage Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, and others to challenge him for the Presidential nomination in 2028.

Of course, IF Vance became President by succession, and therefore, would be a sitting President, it would be much more difficult for a rebellion by MAGA Republicans to succeed against him.

Most certainly, the future of the Republican Party with the upcoming Presidential Election of 2028, is very much a fluid situation, and very difficult to project what will occur down the road!

Trump-Netanyahu “War Of Choice” Escalates To Widespread Middle East Conflict With Iran Attacking Neighboring Nations!

Ronald 19 Comments

The decision of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to choose to provoke a war with Iran is leading to a widespread Middle East escalation affecting all of the neighboring nations of the area, including

Kuwait
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
Qatar
Oman
Lebanon
Iraq
Jordan

This war came about without an “imminent threat” of Iran having enough potential for a nuclear weapon, and with negotiations going on between Iran’s Foreign Minister and Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

This clearly was a war promoted by Benjamin Netanyahu, who has wanted this war for decades, but until now with Donald Trump, could not bring it about under earlier Presidents.

Barack Obama brought about a nuclear agreement in 2015, signed onto by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, and yet Trump destroyed the agreement in his first term, with Joe Biden reviving it in his term, but with Israel knowing how to stroke the ego of Trump, and accomplish what Netanyahu has wanted for a very long time.

So Netanyahu effectively manipulated Donald Trump, and now we have a Middle East War that is creating chaos and anarchy, and is causing economic instability, with higher oil prices on the way, and no certainty of how the US will resolve the war, including whether combat ground troops will engage, putting America in a major morass as Iraq and Afghanistan were for the previous two decades.

Major Political Split Emerging Regarding US-Israel War On Iran

Ronald Leave a comment

The decision of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to wage war on Iran is causing a major political split.

The fact that Trump and his Cabinet did not consult with Congress up front and ask for backing through the War Powers Act of 1973;

that Trump has lied about the so called “imminent” threat Iran presented to American national security;

that Trump and his Cabinet chose not to be interviewed by news media this weekend after the first day of military action;

that Trump has totally reversed his former stand against getting involved in military interventions as a critic of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars in the past;

that anger is rising among the general public, as early polls show only 25 percent of those polled support the intervention;

that Trump seemed not to have much empathy about the loss of life of military personnel, when he personally avoided military service by claiming “bone spurs”;

all this and more is creating a major political crisis that is unlikely to go away anytime soon, and the prospect of greatly increased oil prices as a result of the widening Middle East War, with other nations in the area being drawn into it, adds to the complicated crisis.

Already, within his party, Trump has angered Kentucky Senator Rand Paul; Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie; former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who was a MAGA supporter, and also, commentator Tucker Carlson, and this is just the beginning, in less than 48 hours after the war has begun.

At the same time, while most Democrats are opposed to the war, some are supportive, causing a split in that political party as well, including

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
Congressman Jared Moskowitz of Florida
Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York
Congressman Greg Landsman of Ohio
Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas

The fact that some Democrats are supportive of the war means when and if a War Powers Resolution comes up for a vote, it could undermine the ability to gain a majority of support for such action.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made clear on Monday morning, the third day of the war, that there would be no holding back on the war effort, creating a likely constitutional crisis as Donald Trump and company pursue their goals in league with Israel, despite the fact that diplomacy was in process, and had not been given a full chance to work.

So the image of Donald Trump, “The Dove”, which caused many MAGA Republicans in the voting population to support him in 2024, is in tatters.

A major political division is likely to grow wider as the war continues, without any assurance of avoiding disarray in an area of the world notable for instability.

That only complicates the issue of what will happen politically in the Midterm Elections of 2026 and the Presidential Election of 2028.

And the announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom that the British government is not in support of the war, and believe in a negotiated settlement, is a stunning blow to the mission pursued by Trump and Netanyahu. It is highly unusual, that our closest ally in Europe would come out openly in the House of Commons and criticize and refuse support of the war effort.

Donald Trump has made clear in his press conference that there is the possibility of ground troops being sent into combat in the Middle East if that is seen as necessary.

So it seems potentially possible that America could be engaging in what will become a major long term conflict, similar to what occurred in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, further dividing and complicating American politics in the near term and long term!

Dire Threat Of War With Iran, As Donald Trump Displays Again His Reckless Side!

Ronald 8 Comments

Donald Trump ran for the Presidency in 2016 as a critic of the Iraq War and Afghanistan War under George W. Bush, and dragging on beyond Bush’s time in office.

Trump was clearly sounding like an isolationist, but now he is displaying an imperialist, aggressive foreign policy, totally opposite of what he professed ten years ago.

Trump has enjoyed showing his ability to bomb countries; invade and overthrow the leader of Venezuela; and side with dictators around the world.

Now, he is flirting dangerously with inciting war with Iran, even though his own military leadership is reported to be highly doubtful that such a military invasion would work out any better than it was with Iraq and Afghanistan.

For a person who evaded the draft based on “Bone Spurs”, he is acting a lot like Vladimir Putin of Russia.

And there seems to be no desire to have Congress play a role in such a military adventure, and therefore, to ignore the War Powers Act of 1973, which admittedly, has not been able to control Presidents when they decide to intervene overseas.

It will be interesting to see what Donald Trump says, or does not say, about Iran tonight in the State of the Union Address.

However, it seems clear that America is about to embark on a very reckless mission, not realizing that the size of the area and population of Iran, four times larger than Iraq, is a danger zone, and could escalate into a massive Middle East War with Arab nations drawn into it, as well as Israel.

America could end up involved in a morass that will last years, and while Iran is a problem with the potential for nuclear military development, it is seen by many as a “fool’s errand” to engage in what could be a long, drawn out war, with heavy casualties and major effects on the national debt over many years.

25 Years Since Bush V Gore: What Might Have Been!

Ronald 69 Comments

It has been exactly a quarter century since the US Supreme Court in Bush V Gore awarded the Presidency to George W. Bush over Al Gore, declaring Bush the winner of the popular vote in the state of Florida, governed by his brother, Jeb Bush, by the grand total of 537 votes out of 6 million votes cast in the Sunshine State, but with Gore winning the national popular vote by about 540,000 votes.

Bush won the Electoral College by 271-266, the second closest electoral vote in American history, after the Presidential Election of 1876, where Rutherford B. Hayes won the Electoral College 185-184, despite losing the popular vote by about 250,000 votes to Samuel Tilden.

Imagine the differences that would have occurred if Al Gore had been President, and most observers would think America would have been better off.

The major issue that arises is whether the September 11 Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon would have occurred.

Also, how would a President Gore have reacted if such an attack had still taken place, meaning how would we have dealt with the issue of Afghanistan, and what turned out to be a 20 year war?

Also, there would have been an Iraq War which dragged on for years, alongside the Afghanistan War, since the decision to go to war in 2003 was based on false premises?

This is all speculation, a potential novel, as who is in office determines the future in so many ways that one cannot calculate ahead of time, or even for sure, in retrospect!

My Lai 1968, Abu Ghraib 2003-2004: Crimes Against Humanity, Now Being Promoted By Trump Administration!

Ronald 25 Comments

On March 15, 1968, Army Lieutenant William Calley led a horrendous massacre of Vietnamese civilian men, women, and children at My Lai, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, only revealed in November 1969.

Between 350 and 500 innocent villagers were murdered, with rape and mutilation and torture of women and children and the elderly, with 26 soldiers charged with the outrageous war crimes, but only Calley served a short time, eventually having his sentence commuted to house arrest by President Richard Nixon.

This massacre increased the antiwar opposition in America to the Vietnam War, which bitterly divided America.

In June 2003, the first revelations of horrendous abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison complex in Iraq became public.

Widespread human rights abuses were occurring, with the use of torture, all types of shocking mistreatment on a grand scale, and many US troops seemingly enjoying what horrendous acts they were perpetrating on prisoners.

These actions were authorized by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, and President George W. Bush, and many other White House staff, who knew what was occurring, even if not directly involved.

News media revealed the horrors, and showed many Army personnel, including many women, were involved in actions, and with photos showing their glee at what they were doing. Only a small number of troops were held accountable and served sentences after convictions.

It led to a belated apology by President George W. Bush in May 2004, but clearly, it led to greater troubles and expansion of the war in Iraq, which continued until 2011.

International law had been violated, and clearly, war crimes of massive abuses had occurred, and there was a sense that, like with My Lai 35 years earlier, there was never adequate accountability.

So many victims of both war crimes in 1968 and 2003-04 never received any justice, and so many victims lost their lives because of out of control military forces, which were also in league with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Now in 2025, we have attacks on so called “drug boats”, supposedly linked to Venezuela, and it seems likely that soon there will be an armed invasion of that South American nation, and a new military intervention, authorized by Donald Trump!

Dick Cheney, Most Controversial Vice President, Dies At Age 84!

Ronald 1 Comment

Dick Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, under the two terms of President George W. Bush, passed away at age 84 on November 3.

The most controversial Vice President since John C. Calhoun under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson 170 years earlier, Cheney was termed “Darth Vader” by the multitude of critics, who condemned Cheney and Bush for intervention in Iraq on false premises of “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that were never found, but caused the deaths of about 4,500 American military personnel in a war that lasted for nearly a decade.

Cheney was seen as corrupt in his corporate dealings, and had a tough public persona that caused great anger and vehemence against him.

Cheney promoted the use of torture, including waterboarding, against Muslim suspects, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Cheney came across as “tough as nails”, harsh, uncompromising, and many observers felt he was more the President in the first term of George W. Bush, than Bush himself.

In the second term, Bush became more assertive, and the role of Cheney declined in influence.

The public image never changed, but ironically, Cheney and his daughter, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, became the image of a family which resisted the threat of Donald Trump, making Dick Cheney in retrospect seem less evil and threatening by comparison.

The idea that Dick Cheney would actually “cross the aisle” and vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 is a sign of how much the Republican Party had changed from the time of Bush-Cheney to the time of the authoritarian oriented Donald Trump!

Cheney had served as a Wyoming Congressman and Republican Whip in the House of Representatives, after being White House Chief Of Staff to President Gerald Ford, before being a creditable Secretary of Defense under President George H W Bush.

Back From Vacation Break, And Total Mayhem! :(

Ronald 58 Comments

This author and blogger took a well deserved and needed vacation, and avoided following news of public affairs for the past ten days!

Now I am back, and total mayhem is in process on so many levels!

The continued violation of civil liberties, with the arrest by ICE of unjustified individuals; the arrest of a Democratic Mayoral candidate and New York City Controller Brad Lander; and the decision to back up Israel’s war on Iran by Donald Trump taking the bold action, without Congressional consultation or approval under the War Powers Act of 1973, to bomb Iranian nuclear sites—this all causes a sense of total mayhem in action!

We have a President who has taken a controversial action without any consultation, and his mental stability seems lacking in a sense of giving confidence that he knows what he is perpetrating, a possible major Mideast War, having learned nothing from the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

40,000 US troops are in danger in the Middle East by the unstable, emotional reaction of Donald Trump, who is continuing to alienate our long term allies in Europe, Canada, and in Asia.

We have just passed the five month point of this four year term, and there is no comparison possible for the tumultuous, overwhelming, and shocking series of events that have taken place in both foreign and domestic policy!

One has to wonder how the survival of American democracy and the rule of law, and our 80 year stable set of allies in the world, can be accomplished with the reality that there are three years and seven months until the next Presidential Inauguration, and one year and five months until the next Congressional Elections, which the Democrats need to win to attempt to put controls on the most dangerous President in American history!

It is hard to be optimistic as we look to the future!