The Lost War

 

Outside of the delusional and mentally unfit Malignant Loser's most devoted circle of sycophants in his regime and in Congress, the 14 point "memorandum of understanding" with Iran represented a defeat for him and a diminishing of the U.S.'s standing in the world. Jonathan Lemire writes in The Atlantic:

"President Trump lost. The war he waged against Iran promises to conclude in a humbling whimper with the signing of a cease-fire agreement later this week. The United States is left weaker—diminished militarily, strategically, economically, and perhaps morally.

The war, which the United States fought alongside Israel, accomplished none of the goals that Trump named at the outset. Instead, it only empowered the hard-liners in Tehran and arguably emboldened them to someday seek a nuclear weapon. Despite that, the president was so desperate for the war to end that he repeatedly backed off his threats—allowing Iran to call his bluff—and upbraided his close ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for responding to attacks in the region in a manner that jeopardized the negotiations.

Trump won’t admit to any of this. He has spent recent days furiously spinning the tentative deal as a clear win, and has seethed at unflattering comparisons with the deal that President Obama struck with Iran more than a decade ago, aides and outside advisers told me. Trump, they said, has privately denounced Iran hawks, some of whom are among his closest allies in the Republican Party, for questioning the strength of the agreement. Within the administration, there is a divide on the deal, but Trump sided with those advocating for the war to wind down, no matter the terms, as fears mount about the economic toll on Americans and the political costs for Republicans in the midterms." (our emphasis)

The MF was virtually isolated at this week's G7 conference, with attendees coordinating their efforts to keep him from tantrums and to focus on issues like Russia's war on Ukraine, which is going increasingly badly for his guru Vladimir Putin. They praised his "deal" with Iran, knowing it was a capitulation but one that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Iranian and other Persian Gulf states' oil and petrochemical products to flow again.

It's doubtful that the "deal", once absorbed by the public, will help him, given the anger among hawks aligned with right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu's policies. In fact, the "deal" is widely seen as a big blow to Netanyahu's chances in the next election, which he's rightfully fearful of losing now that his "friend" the MF has undercut him with Israel's mortal enemy. Netanyahu cast his fate with the MF, and now he's finding what so many others have: the MF only cares about himself and has no moral core.