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Posted on 03/29/2026 9:22:59 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
There are two kinds of people: the kind of people who want to end the Iran War and people who want to win the Iran War. The Victory Option encompasses the goal of the first kind of people because it ends the war, but ending the war is not the proper objective. The proper objective in any war is to win it. Anyone glancing at social media sees people with an absolute commitment to America’s defeat. And defeat comes about only if Donald Trump chooses to quit the war – because the Iranians can’t make us do anything since they don’t have a nuclear bomb, thanks to Donald Trump – in a way that doesn’t achieve victory. Victory means regime change. Once again, remember your Clausewitz – war is simply politics with other means. This is a political struggle. The military aspect is just how it’s being done, not what’s being done.
A victory end-state is one in which Iran is no longer a destabilizing force in the world – note that I said “world,” not just the Middle East. By destabilizing force, I mean the funder of radically jihadi savages all over the world – for example, they blew up a Jewish center in Argentina – as well as enablers of Chi Com mischief by selling Xi oil. They are also a destabilizing force because they seek to be the owners of sufficient numbers of drones and missiles that they can inflict unacceptable punishment on their neighbors.
Oh, and there’s the whole nuclear thing. Just imagine Iran with nuclear weapons on top of ballistic missiles. You know, the ballistic missiles they promised they didn’t have, but actually had, since they shot a couple at Diego Garcia? Putting aside all the fatwas the fatheads cite claiming that the ayatollahs had forbidden nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, think about them having Paris and London in hot rock range, with the United States coming soon into the crosshairs as Iran reaches intercontinental capability. That’s when they start dictating to us. Call me crazy, but I prefer we dictate to our enemies instead of vice versa.
So, what we’re fighting for is a neutered Iran, or rather a neutralized Iran, where it stops being an active enemy. It doesn’t have to be a friend. It just has to not be a threat, because they are right now. And that’s one of the things a lot of people on the Democrat side and some of our podcast bros and libertarians misunderstand. Well, they misunderstand a lot of things, but this one’s particularly important. The mullahs hate us and want us dead for reasons that we can’t necessarily comprehend. But the fact that we can’t comprehend why they believe that some missing mahdi requires them to kill us doesn’t mean that they don’t believe that some missing mahdi requires them to kill us. They do. They’ve told us so for 47 years. They’re not out there chanting “Death to America” figuratively. We have real enemies.
And as American First conservatives, we don’t believe in wishing away enmity because dealing with that reality is inconvenient and clashes with things we’d rather do. There are a lot of things we would rather be doing right now than cleaning out the Iran abscess. We’ve got budgets to cut, frauds to expose, DEI to purge, and illegal aliens – so many illegal aliens – to deport. It would be great to have those things as our sole focus. But, being adults and fans of the first wave Rolling Stones, we understand that you can’t always get what you want.
This was the time to strike Iran. This was the time to win once and for all, to end this forever war by victory. Some people who don’t want victory are mad because they alleged there was no imminent threat. That might be true, in the sense that they hadn’t yet completed building up their arsenal of rockets, missiles, and drones, and they hadn’t finalized their nuclear weapons program. Then the threat would be very imminent, and therefore not subject to the airborne remedy we’ve been applying for the last four weeks. Hit them when they’re weak? When the hell else should we hit them? Is there some sort of Marquess of Queensberry rules we should be applying? When you have a psychotic enemy who wants to murder you because of their false religious dogma, you don’t wait until they have a fair and fighting chance. Kicking them when they’re down is the best time to kick them. And to keep kicking them until they beg to surrender.
Fortunately, Donald Trump understands that. He rejects the idea of half-measures. Can you imagine the pressure that he’s under right now from many within his own coalition to slow down or stop this campaign? But he’s not going to. He won’t give in. He’s putting his agenda at risk, and it is a risk because of the weak-hearted, in order to make America safe again. Oh, and our allies, too. I mean both the useful ones, like the Israelis have proven to be, and the useless ones, like our NATO allies, have proven to be. If you don’t think their leaders in NATO, who are crying because Donald Trump is having an illegal war, which is against international law, to the extent there is such a thing as international law, are not thrilled with the idea of this threat being neutered without them having to offend and aroused their imported third-world, barbarian contingent, you’re not paying attention. But that doesn’t change the level of abuse and harassment from them that Trump is suffering because of this. The Democrats are screaming at him. Some of his coalition members are screaming at him. Foreigners are screaming at him. Everyone’s screaming at him, and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care because he’s doing the right thing. And he’s strong enough to do it. He’s channeling Winston Churchill, who famously said:
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
And Donald Trump will never quit, not till he gets what he wants. And what he wants is victory.
But that’s not what his opponents want. Oh, some opponents will be perfectly happy to have Iran ruined, including the aforementioned NATO allies and many Democrats who understand what a threat these barbarians are. But they don’t want Trump to get the credit. They don’t want Trump to get the glory. Some of them would accept an Iran unbound in order to deprive Donald Trump of the recognition he will earn for his steadfast commitment to ridding the planet of this strategic threat.
The libertarians are just unserious idiots, so I’m not even bothering with them. But there is a contingent of Democrats who are not only upset about Donald Trump potentially getting credit but about America potentially winning. They hate America. They think we’re the problem. They’ll run their mouths about a 1953 coup in Iran as if that somehow gives these turbaned jerks a free pass to butcher our people in perpetuity. These Democrats despise America. They want America to lose. AOC’s preferred end-state is this country’s humiliation and defeat. Ilhan Omar would celebrate America’s loss like she would celebrate her wedding anniversary with her brother. And the only thing that could please Rashida Tlaib more than an American being killed by these Islamic scumbags is if that American was also Jewish.
So, what’s the answer for Donald Trump? It’s easy. It’s the same answer it always is, the same as it has always been through history when fighting a war. It’s to win the war. Victory is the answer. Not ending the war. Ending the enemy. There is no substitute for victory. We didn’t fight to victory in Korea, Vietnam, or even Iraq or Afghanistan. And you know what? That was the problem. You’ve got to win. Fortunately, our president is Donald Trump, and he just doesn’t know how to lose.
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
“Win” is easy to advocate for when you don’t have your own flesh and blood in the game to LOSE...IE: your children aren’t the ones being deployed...
If my flesh and blood were in the game, it's because they volunteered. We don't have a draft.
An insightful post.
Still true from the 1960s that old men plan and send young men to fight in the wars.
In addition, sending our best to die while our worst smokes high potency dope, plays hours of video games, subscribes to porn sites and comes upstairs when mom calls them up to dinner, leaves a lot of wimpy losers for women to choose for a husband and have a child. It all goes together.
Dad was 82nd airborne. I was USN Submarines, my son was USN Aviation Electrician, my Daughter US Air Force Air Traffic Controller, we all gave some. Some we knew gave all. You swear an oath and do your best. Live on your knees or die on your feet. Godspeed to all our kids in harms way.
A lot of volunteers were inspired to join after Trump got elected, thinking they will be serving under the auspices of America First, securing our OWN borders, not fighting in wars of choice etc...
I’m aware of some really upset people whose relatives have just gotten notice...
That and Karolyn Leavitt so brazenly reminded the press that “everything” (including a potential draft) is on the table...
Oh, and the IDF is running low on troops. And MORE -not less- are needed during “peacetime” should it follow. So who is going to pick up the slack you think?
* Chief of Staff Zamir warns IDF will collapse due to lack of manpower, raises ‘ten red flags’
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-891368
Kurt Schlichter, at least, is a retired Colonel with silver jump wings. On the other hand, his reliance on Clausewitz shows that he’s still in the old paradigm of wars of attrition: taking out X number of enemies means you win. We have too much evidence from Korea to the present that it’s the most costly form of warfare in terms of blood and treasure. And the victories if they can be called that, are pyrrhic at best.
RE: “Win” is easy to advocate for when you don’t have your own flesh and blood in the game to LOSE.
Should we have advocated that George Washington end the war so that more American and British flesh and blood not be lost?
Should we have done the same in World War 2?
“””””“Win” is easy to advocate for when you don’t have your own flesh and blood in the game to LOSE...IE: your children aren’t the ones being deployed...”””””
On a forum full of veterans and military families and parents who have children who enlist and serve, and even some active duty and current reservists and Guardsmen, those kind of statements get tiresome and look silly.
It’s hardly a secret that no one wants their friends and loved ones involved in a war. That said, how would you deal with an Iran that had the means to build nuclear weapons and a burning desire to use them on the United States (and an Iran that had proven to be 100% unreliable at the negotiating table)?
“””””A lot of volunteers were inspired to join after Trump got elected, thinking they will be serving under the auspices of America First, securing our OWN borders, not fighting in wars of choice etc...”””””
Are you sure you know anything about the military and military people? You don’t sound like it, I never met GIs who signed up thinking they were only eligible for military actions that didn’t include going overseas to fight foreigners.
Sailors must really be confused thinking they were only hoping to be on carriers and destroyers parked in our harbors.
So basically, the Dr Strangelove option? General Ripper has already launched the war, so we might as well go on in with everything.
Gotcha…
That's not an argument for whether or not this is the correct policy. Same sort of comments could be made if your town is overrun with violent gangs and if your children aren't the police officers being called in to fight it - claiming you don't have a right to claim it is the correct policy. Or people needing to be rescued from a collapsing building if your children aren't firefighters / rescue teams.
Ask me after the midterms — if Democrats take back the House and Senate...
1) How have all these Middle East ‘excursions’ post-Cold War helped the USA from its own self-inflicted NUCLEAR social demise? How has our culture improved? How has YOUR life improved?
And you know how many homeless people in our cities are veterans?
2) Migrant-Refugee crisis in Europe was largely result of fall-out from our policies in our proxy wars.
3) This war threatens to inspire a whole new generation of terrorists and to turn Iranians who already hate their regime, against US for bombing them as collateral...
Sounds like you support the 16 year old vote push, that should help get rid of the over 30 crowd running the country.
We disagree on the premise of the threat and its imminence.
Well said. Thank you Colonel.
The reason the lion has been in the cage since WW2 was we wouldn’t use it on offense and the Russians got a lion but weren’t suicidal. Ergo: the Cold War. Then others got a lion, but knew it better stay caged,and they’re not suicidal. 72 virgin goats looks good to some Iranians. They can’t have a lion. Period.
You'll be enthusiastically voting for them, I'm sure. Nonstop propaganda.
The other week you claimed screenshots of news stories about the actions of MTG was a "meme"
Perhaps so...but that is not a response in the same context in which it was started.
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