New York Times opinion writer Thomas Friedman has said out loud what so many Democrats appear to think but are reluctant to reveal: he seemingly so despises President Trump that he’d be okay with the U.S. losing the war with Iran.
Does Friedman think deposing Iran’s “terrible regime” for a government that cares about its people and will bring peace to the Middle East would be a good thing? Sure, but “the problem is I really don’t want to see Bibi Netanyahu or Donald Trump politically strengthened by this war because they are too awful human beings.”
Friedman is, in other words, on the fence about rooting for the U.S. Maybe instead rooting for the fanatical mullahs who wantonly slaughter their own people, enrich and arm terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah that spread violence across the Middle East, push to acquire a nuclear weapon while routinely chanting “Death to America” and organize hit squads aiming to take out U.S. officials and politicians, including the President of the United States.
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Those are the folks about whom Friedman is ambivalent, so deep is his loathing for the U.S. president. Imagine hating Donald Trump more than you love your country.
Friedman is not alone. Democrat politicians have spewed despicable commentary about the war against Iran since it started, denying its purpose and legitimacy even though the core mission of the conflict is to accomplish something every U.S. president and candidate has committed to for 50 years — that Iran not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Democrats apparently thought this was just a popular talking point, not an actual commitment. Hillary Clinton vowed to bomb Iran if the mullahs used nukes against Israel, Kamala Harris cited the theocracy as our greatest enemy. This was safe turf; Donald Trump went further and took an enormous political risk to act on those words.
Imagine if you were the parent of a young man or woman in uniform risking their lives in this war and heard Hakeem Jeffries recently say about Pete Hegseth: “This guy can’t organize a two-car funeral…no wonder things are turning out so horrifically.”
Jeffries is not alone. Senate Minority Leaders Schumer recently posted on X that Trump is a “military moron,” complaining about the $44 billion spent so far on trying to end Iran’s terror regime. Critics note that to date the New York senator has signed off on $114 billion to help fuel Ukraine’s resistance to Russia, a conflict in which America has little immediate stake. Should we support pushing back against Vladimir Putin’s aggression? Yes, but it is Iran, not Russia, that has been killing Americans for decades, ultimately inviting Trump’s aggressive response.
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Jeffries doesn’t bother to articulate what exactly is turning out so poorly; he’s just scoring political points. The truth is of course the opposite. The U.S. military has performed brilliantly, eliminating most of Iran’s naval assets, its air force, its missile sites and other targets while sustaining few casualties for an operation of such magnitude. When has a heavily armed country been so crippled in such a short period of time?
Democrats are not just criticizing the war; they want to bring down the president. They are calling for President Trump to be drummed out of the Oval Office, claiming that his over-the-top threats on Truth Social to eliminate Iran’s civilization prove he is not fit to serve. They insist that the 25th amendment be invoked, apparently ignorant of how that constitutional measure actually works. The amendment allows the vice president and a majority of the cabinet to vote to remove the Commander-in-Chief should he (or she) be disabled. Does anyone in Congress seriously believe Trump’s cabinet thinks such a step is necessary or appropriate?
The liberal press has skillfully played its role of useful idiot by portraying the war as a failure from the beginning, aiding and abetting the enemy by dividing our country and undermining support for the conflict. An article in the Hill titled, “Trump lost his nerve and surrendered to a beaten Iran,” certainly does not build confidence. Nor did The Economist cover from a couple of weeks ago declaring the Iran conflict: “A War Without a Strategy”. Or its most recent cover story: “Donald Trump is the War’s Biggest Loser.”
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The upshot of these relentless attacks on President Trump and his execution of the war is that public sentiment has soured on the conflict, leading the Iranian regime to believe that political pressure will push the president to bring it to a close. That accounts for the regime’s intransigence and refusal, for instance, to give up their nuclear weapons. Comments made by Iran’s leaders about the recent negotiations in Islamabad have all the bravado and truculence of a winning team. But Iran is not winning. The decimated leadership is communicating by written notes because they are terrified that any electronic signaling will reveal their whereabouts and lead to their speedy execution. Their conventional forces have been destroyed; their remaining ace in the hole is a bunch of speedboats with missile and drone launchers capable of scaring ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. That will not stand.
Interestingly, for all the media nay-saying, the polling on the war is not as negative as Democrats might like. A recent CBS poll showed, for instance, “Big and bipartisan majorities” feel it’s important for the U.S. to “open the Strait of Hormuz, make sure Iran’s people are “safe and secure”, stop Iran from threatening other countries and “permanently stop Iran’s nuclear programs.” Respondents don’t think those goals have been met, but they support the White House’s mission. The survey also shows 55% of Americans believe it would be “unacceptable” to end the war with Iran’s current leadership still in place — quite a hawkish view.
Americans understand that Iran is an enemy. Democrats are not convinced. If Trump is successful in this war, they will look not only foolish, but unpatriotic.
