Iran Loses Its Indispensable Man

The Atlantic ^ | 2 January 2020 | Andrew Exum

[Steely Tom]

Today the United States killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Quds Force. The United States is now in a hot war with Iran after having waged war via proxies for the past several decades.

This doesn’t mean war, it will not lead to war, and it doesn’t risk war. None of that. It is war.

I don’t claim to be an expert on Iran—when I served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East policy, I used to remind my Iran team at the Pentagon that my regional expertise ended at the Shatt al-Arab waterway that divides Iraq and Iran, and with them, the Arabic- and Farsi-speaking regions of the Middle East.

[Steely Tom]

The Atlantic is worried.

[Steely Tom]

Subtitle to story: The killing of Qassem Soleimani robs the regime of the central figure for its ambitions in the Middle East.

[robowombat]

Well, there are no indispensable men, but we scared the trifecta today with the level of the shit’s we lit up. Their loss is something like a decapitation strike. DJT is becoming truly great in my estimation.

[vetvetdoug]

May the god less Muzzie rot in hell.

[Lurkinanloomin]

He was up to no good in Iraq and we put an end to it and him.

[mrsmith]

Never mind how many Americans he killed.
That seems to be the crux of liberals’ response.

Killing Americans is A-OK!

[montag813]

The United States is now in a hot war with Iran after having waged war via proxies for the past several decades.

He didn't belong in Iraq. And he was responsible for hundreds of American deaths. This isn't war, this is justice.

[GreyHoundSailor]

Life was just peachy when only one side was doing all the killing and the US was sending them planeloads of cash. Glad those days are over.

[rockinqsranch]

“I don’t claim to be an expert on Iran—............”

Anyplace else? Like maybe the U.S.

[Steely Tom]

Never mind how many Americans he killed.

That seems to be the crux of liberals’ response.

We deserve it, according to the MSM-Democrats.

It's going to be fun to get the MSM-Democrat response over the next 24-48 hours.

[Alberta's Child]

I don’t claim to be an expert on Iran ...

Sounds to me like he's perfectly qualified to be a CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, or MSNBC expert on Iran.

[Newbomb Turk]

The second they announce Qassem Soleimani's replacement we should turn him into the next smoking hole.

Making the world SAFE again.

[mrsmith]

Yes, it is going to be fun.
But they’ll succeed with some.

[gandalftb]

It means war. God bless our troops.

[tbw2]

Benghazi - 13 hours begging for help, soldiers told to stand down
Baghdad attack - 13 minutes until help is on the way, 13 hours until the mastermind is dead in a strategic strike.

[Steely Tom]

Benghazi - 13 hours begging for help, soldiers told to stand down

Baghdad attack - 13 minutes until help is on the way, 13 hours until the mastermind is dead in a strategic strike.

Kind of grabs one, when put like that.

[Gene Eric]

>> Never mind how many Americans he killed.
>> That seems to be the crux of liberals’ response.

Exactly.

[PGR88]

I don’t think anyone can say for certain how Iran will respond,

The first thing Senior Iranian leaders are doing is changing their cell phones and computers, making sure their assets are well hidden, digging their bunkers deeper - and thinking, “Holy crap, if they got to him, am I next?”

[867V309]

It is war.

hyperbole

if it were war, iran would be glass...

[Billthedrill]

Major intelligence coup. For this cast of characters to be caught in the open in a war zone of their own making argues some serious complacency on their part. For us to know about it argues something more.