S.O.S.
The universal sign for "HELP" and an abbreviation for "Secretary of State"
In a situation where Israel aggressively bombs Iran, a complex array of opportunities and huge risks falls at the feet of the United States. The idea that the President can simply call the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu "excellent" (as Trump has done) and then stay out of the fray is far-fetched.
These are intense moments for USA presidents. This is why they appoint an extremely experienced and talented diplomat to the most important seat in their Cabinet - the Secretary of State. And, for a specific situation like this, a deeply experienced military general is seated in the critical cabinet seat of the Secretary of Defense.
Lucky for the world, Trump has the world-class talent of Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth in these critical positions.
What could possibly go wrong?
NOTES:
I am a long time critic of Netanyahu but his timing with this attack is brilliant. Iran is weak and Russia is weak. Their military strengths are illusions so calling any bluff is easy right now. Iran has never backed away from statements that the annihilation of Israel is their top priority. Iran’s nuclear program has no other purpose than to destroy Israel so, International condemnation of Israel’s decision to potentially start WW3 is not likely to come about.
Whoa, Mossad looked like an intelligence service that had lost its way when Hamas launched the October 7 terrorist attack against Israel but not anymore. How the hell Mossad knew the stuff that it needed to know for this attack to do what it did is just amazing. The after-effect is that Iran’s leaders can no longer trust each other or their top executives and military leaders. The paranoia will be universal.
I will never know the truth but if you forced me to bet my house on whether or not Netanyahu got permission from Trump before initiating this attack, I would bet that there is no way in hell Trump was included in Israel’s planning and decision making process. You can’t even trust Trump not to post about the discussions in Truth Social prematurely. You can’t even trust Pete Hegseth to keep the military details out of the Signal messenger app.
The USA is in a deep state of turmoil and paralysis. Netanyahu surely recognizes that there will never be a better time to pursue aggressive military strategies in the Middle East without needing to involve the USA.
Trump called this attack “excellent” but Trump’s objective of low oil prices in the USA is now in the shitter. So, as a side note, this is a good time to point out that the USA’s giant oil companies have all slashed their Cap X budgets since Trump took office and new drilling initiatives are dormant. Trump’s “drill baby drill” policy initiative could not be failing worse than it is.
While we’re at it, Trump has made his ability to deliver peace in the Middle East a huge point of emphasis. How is that working out for you now, Donnie boy?
An indirect consequence of this attack is that Saudi Arabia is now the world’s true superpower in the context of the world’s gluttonous thirst for oil. How much oil supply we have and what the price per barrel is on any given day is not in the hands of the OPEC collective and it is not in the hands of the USA at all. Saudi Arabia controls oil, period. Trump’s superficial relationship with Saudi Arabia regarding business deals feed the selfish needs of his businesses but they do not give him any true diplomatic leverage with the King or the Prince. Biden had far more diplomatic power in this context than Trump can even comprehend.
We can expect on-going posts by the President in Truth Social that “show” that he is in charge and is a leader in control of the unfolding events in the Middle East. But, pay close attention to the time lines, Trump’s posts will be nothing more than his effort to chase the facts on the ground from behind.
S.O.S…….