Called a Bluff: On Purpose or Not?

One cannot read any media without questioning every line, and the latest case in point is a piece in the New York Post that proclaims the President "brilliant" for "call[ing] Iran's bluff" with a blockade of the Straight of Hormuz.

In isolation, one could well imagine such a blockade being a useful and powerful tool to further cripple the Iranian regime, and being brilliant for turning its best weapon against it.

Not only that, the move may play out exactly that way. Despite concerns that ships were violating the blockade, for example, a Chinese ship has indeed turned around after appearing to flout it yesterday.

But in context?

Doing something this deliberate would be way out of character for Donald Trump who, to put it charitably, prefers to operate by the seat of his pants, and usually has the sole strategic interest of lining his own pockets. Remember that he was talking hours or days before of collecting tolls from the Strait with Iran as a partner. (!)

So much for the Post's contention that Trump is "honoring an American commitment to freedom of the seas that goes back to President Thomas Jefferson."

Since when has this clown honored any American commitment, including those he himself has made? Our NAFTA USMCA trading partners might like to have a word with you about that.

And then there's the further context of Trump's ever-changing war aims. As of right now, the Administration is hoping to accelerate the fall of strike a "Grand Bargain" with the Mullahs, as if they are fellow mafiosi, instead of ideologues who might be interested in surviving to maim and murder infidels another day.

We may yet end up having to give Trump grudging credit for ridding us of the Mullahs, but he is doing a great job of getting in the way of that, and such an outcome is not guaranteed despite our obscene military advantage over Iran.

A powerful tool still has to be wielded, and preferably by someone who knows what he is doing.

-- CAV