This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

Daddy Bear staggers out of the woods saying, it’s alright, it’s alright. The war is almost over. Markets soared. Hosanna! We’re saved! Here, I was worried this thing could spiral out of control, but the dementia patient says, it’s going to be alright. The war is almost over. [famous last words] Oil prices moderate and calm themselves. The world markets needed to hear that, even if it’s not true. In this country, it’s only a higher price at the pump. In Vietnam and East Asia, it’s having the gas to get to work and feed the family and pay the bills.

The situation must be so jittery that non-toxic words from Donald Trump could have a calming effect on the situation. Willing to believe anyone in a storm? The question now is how long will the dam hold? Trump is trying to signal that the war is almost over when he doesn’t really control that. I think that everyone works with at least one Pete Hegseth during their career. The boss who’s obviously over his or her head. Someone who got the position through stealth, guile, or uterus. The boss who berates the staff for his failings and miscues. You know this guy.

If you’re still trying to explain why we used the military on day ten? You have failed on the previous nine days. And now, time is running out. The world won’t tolerate a war where they are unfairly burdened with the cost. “Tell me the one about them building a bomb again. For forty years nothing, but next week they’re going to have a bomb ready. And they’re willing to use it too!” Some people will believe anything. But if that’s the story they’re going with. It is probably better than the real reason anyway. What was the real reason again? Oh, yeah, they weren’t negotiating fast enough.

How about our military, huh? When it comes to expensive hardware, we’re number one! Money is no object. Six billion dollars and counting, so far. But don’t worry, Trump says he has a handle on it. The war will be over soon, Ashley. Bombing infrastructure in an unprovoked attack against unarmed civilians. Huh? Huh? Name another military doing that besides Israel. That’s us, lawless killers. Uh, Rah! They don’t want to commit troops, but Iran is going to make sure of it.

Like the Iran mission itself, adding troops would be another mission without a mission. Occupy Tehran and impose Ayatollah Mike at the point of a gun? How many troops would it take to pacify a foreign Capitol? How long and how much? The economics of adding ground troops just doesn’t work. The markets  are signaling that it just won’t work. The markets are becoming like a battered child, never knowing what to expect next, but always expecting bad news.

Trump insults returning deceased soldiers by keeping his hat on. It is one of those tells with Trump silently signaling his significant decline. Either he was so vain, he wouldn’t take his hat off in public and show his thinning hair. Or the more likely answer. He didn’t know that he had a hat on. So, of course, if you don’t know you’re wearing a hat, you can’t be expected to take it off. Fox News does the old switcheroo and uses a different clip from a different appearance. Paging Winston Smith! Winston Smith, line three.

A war without a purpose or a final goal to be achieved. Unconditional Surrender Trump. He has decreed from his tower that he must personally approve the next Ayatollah. Somehow during the week Iran has lost the right of self-determination in the world and became vassals. And their fate should be decided by an unelected dictator who would rule Iran by military mandate and proxy.

Without adding troops, Iran won’t surrender. And Trump can’t add troops, where would they land first? How would they be supported? They can’t just ad hoc this thing. And they weren’t planning on using troops, so they’ll  have to just fake it. The Defense Department is the Defense Department again. No more unpopular War Department. Pete’s defending us again!

Donald Trump is stuck; he’s caught in a trap of his own making. If Iran won’t surrender from the air attacks alone. Donald Trump has very few other options. He could unilaterally declare victory and call off the attack. He would only loses face, a little but he escapes, the trap. Or he could continue on with his hardline position and keep on bombing the rubble and ignoring the trap. The fool rushing in where angels fear to tread. Or maybe he doesn’t see the trap at all, like his hat. So he doesn’t know what is coming next. If he can’t remember to take his hat off for dead servicemen, what can you really expect.

These can’t be happy times at the palace. Peterless Pete can’t be in good stead. He’s been telling Trump it’ll be over any minute now for a week.  And it’s not. Pam Bondi is under fire, Kash Patel is under fire and Kristi Noem, has been fired. Sounds like someone’s in a bad mood. Trump has swallowed a stone too big to pass. He can’t afford to make Iran surrender the old-fashioned way. With a D-Day style invasion and thousands of casualties. Soon, world opinion and lack of supply will end the airstrikes. Then what? A stand off? A twilight war where we bomb every Tuesday and Thursday?

A war where we must prevail to win, but our opponent only needs to survive to prevail. Donald Trump is caught in a trap, with only hours remaining to escape. The Trump brand soothing syrup has a short shelf life and it won’t last long. He’s caught in a trap and time is ticking away. You better surrender or I’ll, I’ll ah. I’ll do even worse! Then, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll do some more.

Too stupid to understand that by demanding Iran surrender unconditionally, and give up their sovereignty and their religion, they’ve unified Iran and given them a reason to continue fighting. It’s no longer a war about a crooked regime change. They’ve made it a question of national survival a question of their own continued existence.

“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”
― Sun Tzu,