The LuLac Edition #5, 364, June 24th, 2025

 

TRUMP’S

BIG GAMBLE

President Trump told us last week that he was going to take two weeks to think about whether he was going to try to eliminate the nuclear threat in Iran. It was a brilliant head fake that gave the military the cover to in effect launch a sneak attack on Iran based facilities that store the tools to let the nation of Iran to become an atomic power.

Trump of course ran on the fact that under President Biden, there should be no involvement in foreign wars. In fact, the United States did everything they could to discourage aid to Ukraine. But Trump has never been one to be consistent in his beliefs. The experts call that transactional.

The United States under the leadership of John Kerry had a deal with Iran to cease production. Trump pull out of it. President Biden reinstated it. In one of his first acts, Trump again stepped away.

Trump decried the Gaza situation but never scolded Israel for their part in that war. Trump bragged that he would end that conflict in a few days. Didn’t happen. Ukraine, same thing. I am not one to try to read Trump’s mind, but in this Iran situation, he might have figured “in for a penny, in for a pound.”

The air strikes were masterful in their execution., Never mind a military parade, The United States military force was on full display with perfect timing, secret machinations as well as a strategy that did produce results.

All of that is commendable. Trump used the power that he had as President to make this happen. But the bigger question is, will this gamble pay off? Maybe and that is a big one.

We in the United States have demonstrate lack of patience for war of any kind. Vietnam and Afghanistan has taught us that. But Iran engaged in an 8-year war with Iraq. Iran has been chanting death to America since 1979 and the hostage crisis. (Ironic though that no hostage was killed even with that chant!)  Iranians seem to be a more patient people than we are.

Iran hit back Isreal early Sunday in an affluent neighborhood. On Friday night those residents slept in beds surrounded by walls. Safe. By Sunday morning it was rubble. Iran doesn’t play games. Isreal came first.

Monday Iran has launched an attack on the Al Udeid U.S. Air Force base on Qatar following strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Qatari air defenses “thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles.” The spokesperson also condemned the strikes, saying Qatar “reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportional to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with international law” and that Qatar considers the strikes “a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law and the United Nations Charter.”

Iranian state TV reported on Monday that Iran has begun operation against the U.S. base outside Doha. A source familiar also told The Hill that Iran launched 10 missiles at the base.

The Trump administration is monitoring the situation, a senior White House official told The Hill, as President Trump is set to meet with his national security team following the U.S. attack in Iran.

Right now, there are no casualties. But Iran has made it clear that there are not willing to come to the negotiation table. Yet.

Trump’s gamble is a work in progress as we write this. The ball is now firmly in his court. The next decisions he makes will have a major impact on our country as well as his Presidency. Let us hope he makes the right decisions and keep, like Biden troops here and no on a foreign soil, especially the quagmire that is the middle east.

Trump will get leeway at first from the American people because we tend to back our Presidents when they initially use military power. But the important thing to remember here (to paraphrase Billy Joel) the American people didn’t start this fire. Trump did.Yesterdays cease fire was a false start but we hope there was something there to build on. 

We wish him and this process the best.