Originally published at: More Than a Feeling - TPM – Talking Points Memo
Hello it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender 
In the past week alone, I have had two members of my conservative Christian, Trump-supporting family let me know they think the president has gone too far with this Iran business. There are a lot of obvious things about Trump’s actions in Iran that make this…
2 Likes
the fact that he is offering little coherent reasoning to cling to for why we are in this war, how we get out, and why Americans are paying the cost.
You are too kind THERE is NO coherent reasoning.
Is there anything to stop Democrats from reading the entire contents of the Epstein files into the congressional record if the MAGAts force a talking filibuster?
29 Likes
(@emptywheel.bsky.social on Bluesky )
Of course, the longer folks look at them, the more things Donnie tend to go downhill:
(@portlandken.bsky.social on Bluesky )
20 Likes
1 Like
14 Likes
Greeted as Liberators?
11 Likes
Yeah, uh, “Curveball says …”
8 Likes
I know we’ve been commenting on Windmills for a long time, and yes my favorite band is They Might Be Giants but someone should really start asking Trump about those Iranian Windmills.
At least Don Quixote was a lone senile fool, and Sancho Panza seemed well aware of that. Today we have Don de Don Don and millions of Sanchos who have lost the plot.
Get your lance Don!
5 Likes
I guess we convinced pro-democracy forces around the world that the US isn’t a good ally.
16 Likes
At the start of the conflict, it was reported that Israel was responsible for the attack on Iranian leadership; the US took out military targets. It was also reported, as to timing, that Israel advised Trump they were going with or without the US, and Trump was pulled in if he wanted to blow things up and take credit. If that’s true, Trump had no control over choosing the new leader and who got taken out.
And in other unexplained, foolhardy escalations of the war:
U.S. carries out bombing on Kharg Island, Iran’s most critical oil terminal, Trump says
About 90 percent of the country’s oil exports move through facilities on Kharg Island, located about 15 miles from the mainland in the Persian Gulf. Tehran has warned that an attack on the site would mark an escalation of the conflict.
Archive link: https://archive.is/RaMut
9 Likes
12 Likes
Why do I have the feeling that the Iranian regime didn’t want to play “Wet my beak” with the GOP.
13 Likes
Frankly, the only thing preventing that reading into the record is their own gumption. Do you think for one moment, were the shoe on the other foot, that this wouldn’t already have happened?
3 Likes
Wasn’t there something about Donnie choosing the Delcy Rodriguez of Iran?
7 Likes
Yes that was Plan B if the Plan A of the Iranian people spontaneously overthrowing the regime didn’t happen. And that didn’t work, because (in Trump’s framing) they killed too many of the leadership and didn’t have the more moderate leaders that he thought they could work with.
All of it was a fantasy; a complete misunderstanding of the regime being the heart of the Shia Islam religion worldwide, supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and any future leader is going to be a hardcore anti-Israel and anti-USA Muslim cleric. Unless the regime is overthrown by US boots on the ground, Iraq and Afghanistan style.
Trump fired the competent analysts who would tell him none of this would work, and anyone remaining in his inner circle is too afraid to tell him what would happen. So here we are.
12 Likes
I’ve not been able to find any more info about the bombing on Kharg Island. It is a small island chock full of oil facilities. Sure, Iran might have had some military there, but it isn’t big enough to also have any large military facilities. Yet Trump’s tweet last night suggested a massive strike just on military facilities, with a threat to hit oil facilities in the future. I know he always lies, but I was curious to find out if it really was limited and precise as to military targets, or if it was larger, in which case oil facilities were probably hit as well. We probably can’t believe what Iran will say about it, but satellite images might give some independent verification.
3 Likes
Lets all agree that if politicians want to serve into their 70’s and 80’s they should have to prove their minds can hold up.
They need to pass the Tommy Chong test
I definitely believe Trump never once tried it…
8 Likes
Dear TPM;
This isn’t a broadcast news segment, where you need to fill out time by having the anchor tell you what the interviewee said, then play the clip of them saying the exact same words. These two grafs are the exact same information, and should have been combined into
Hire a gd copy editor. This looks like amateur hour shit.
2 Likes
That’s not even the reason it didnt work.
The only way to bring the Iranian people back to supporting their regime is if the attacks are perceived to be driven by Israel. And that isnt even in question
3 Likes
The government released a video showing what was hit on Kharg island, mainly an airport runway and nearby buildings, with some strikes in more isolated areas that might have been missile or drone launchers. A later satellite photo appears to show that the oil infrastructure was spared. Video:
7 Likes