Posted on 06/21/2019 7:22:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
For some, you could hear the sound of war drums. It was coming. Iran had shot down a surveillance drone in international waters. President Trump did not mince words, saying Iran made a huge mistake, though was cagey about military action. He told the press “you’ll find out” when asked. President Trump has taken action before, firing cruise missiles at an airfield in Syria in 2017 after a horrible chemical weapons attack struck the town of Khan Shaykhun. The airfield was the staging ground. Reports trickled in last night that air strikes were ordered against Iran but were halted by Trump. We didn’t know why, but earlier this morning the president tweeted that he aborted the mission because the retaliatory strikes were not proportionate (via WaPo):
EXCLUSIVE: Iran received message from U.S. President Trump via Oman overnight warning of imminent attack on Iran - Iranian government officials pic.twitter.com/kzV1S1MCHC— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) June 21, 2019
....On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019
....proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019
President Trump ordered an attack on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for the downing of a surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz but called the operation off just before it was due to occur because it would have caused extensive casualties, he said Friday.
In a series of morning tweets, Trump said he called off strikes on three Iranian sites minutes before they were to be launched because he was informed of the likely loss of life among Iranians.
“We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,” Trump tweeted. “150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.”
Such a death toll was “not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone,” Trump wrote, adding: “I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world.
Excellent response by Trump. Showing restraint and strength at the same time.
If that's true, that's insane. A new F-35 only costs 90 million. Why would a drone cost significantly more than a top of the line fifth generation fighter?
If 120 million is correct, we have a bigger scandal than Iran shooting down one of these things.
Who the h3ll thought it was a good idea to buy unmanned drones costing that much?
... and exposes DS.
Maybe central thinks we should retaliate whenever Iran says “death to America.”
By proportionate Trump probably meant you can’t compare human lives to a machine. Now bombing the crap out of one of their nuclear facilities WOULD BE proportionate.
A “win” for Trump. He may never even have truly intended to retaliate in this manner, but by publicly halting such action provides a nice optic of patience and consideration to win allies, perhaps in UN support against Iran.
In 83 they killed 241 Marines. Here they shot down the military equivalent of a of a radio controlled toy. Trump made absolutely the right call. He let the Dems and media yell war monger then he drops this hammer where he is patient and reasonable and they are fools. Genius.
We’ll get another chance. Iran will try again. I hope Donald’s trigger finger is itchy and limbered up.
I do not agree with the Donald on that one. But, it depends where the strikes, or the targets were.
Next if Iran does something else and we do retaliate you will call Trump a genius. What flicked fools we’ve become.
We I Trump, I would keep quiet work behind the scenes and plan the REAL recompense against Iran AFTER re-election. Iran MUST be stopped in their tracks at some point. A nuke going off in our homeland is not a good option either, and that is a real possibility. That CANNOT BE IGNORED, politics be damned!
I don’t have a problem with eliminating 150 Iranians in a first strike, what comes after that does.
I can assure you if they had shot down a manned plane, the response would have been quick and deadly and massive.
If Trump retaliates over a drone, he gives the Iran government what they want... pictures of injured Iranis at the hands of the Evil Empire... which will unite Iran against the US.
By letting the sanctions continue, the people will continue to turn against their government... only this time, we will support them... unlike last time, when Obama left them to die in the streets.
This is exactly what I think. Trump is a master of politics and optics. I think he launched that attack with the full intention of halting it to make himself look like the more reasonable party, while still sending the message to the Mullahs that he can hit them.
I don’t think Trump is a believer in porportionate. He normally hits back 5 times as hard.
And in this case he was going to destroy 3 sites in response to one drone. But loss of life is a big step up. That’s where he drew the line.
I think he made his point. And he has additional sanctions to boot.
If they do something that takes or threatens American lives and interests, not American toys then I blieve Trump has set the stage for prompt effective retaliation. And it was Ronald Reagan who did not reply to the Beirut bombing and all he did was win the Cold War. Both Bushes went off on Kiplingesque military adventures. Where has that gotten us?
Better than the decision he made last year to launch missile strikes on Syria, based on the gas report provided by the white helmets.
“How many miles of wall will 100 million dollars build?”
Four to twenty five, depending on where.
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