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Iran Calls Trump’s Bluff: The President is caught between hawkish goals and dovish means.
Wall Street Journal ^ | June 21, 2019

Posted on 06/22/2019 3:25:28 AM PDT by reaganaut1

President Trump called off a military strike against Iran in mid-mission Thursday, and his supporters and even some of his critics are hailing it as an act of restraint and courage. The question for American interests is whether Iran and other adversaries will see it instead as a sign of weakness and indecision.

“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 proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone,” Mr. Trump tweeted Friday morning.

It’s important to understand how extraordinary this is. The Commander in Chief ordered ships and planes into battle but recalled them because he hadn’t asked in advance what the damage and casualties might be? While the planes were in the air, he asked, oh, by the way? This is hard to take at face value.

More likely, he changed his mind because he had second thoughts about the military and political consequences of engaging in a conflict he promised as a candidate to avoid. Mr. Trump may have saved Iranian lives now, but his indecision and professed fear of casualties may be risking more American lives later.

Squeezed by the U.S. “maximum pressure” campaign, Iran’s rulers are trying to pressure Mr. Trump in return. In recent weeks they have attacked oil pipelines, mined oil tankers, and this week brazenly shot down a $130 million U.S. drone monitoring shipping lanes over international waters. Iran’s bet is that Mr. Trump is so averse to military confrontation that he will ease U.S. sanctions. On the evidence of the aborted mission, they may be right.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2020election; djibouti; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; election2020; eritrea; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; iran; lebanon; mediawingofthednc; nevertrump; nevertrumper; nevertrumpers; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; smearmachine; sudan; trump; wallstreeturinal; yemen
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To: JonPreston

Saw that last night and was disturbed about the depth of the vitriolic monologue by Tucker against Bolton. Found it interesting, almost hypocritical considering Tucker’s long employment with CNN and Bolton’s previous stint as a contributor to Fox.

Wonder what Bolton did to Tucker to get him so worked up?


61 posted on 06/22/2019 5:45:54 AM PDT by offduty
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To: abclily
What Trump did was tell civilians that their lives mean more to us than the leaders do. Their civilians were already rioting and marching in the streets. Then the contrast after being told their leaders are trying to start a war with the US and being told at the last minute the US turned around because they did not want to kill people for a unmanned drone but next time.......

That does not help the Mullahs keep control of the unhappy population who now knows the difference in who is thinking about their lives.

There were so many good reasons for what Trump did and the media is to far into propaganda to even try to think.

62 posted on 06/22/2019 5:49:49 AM PDT by Lady Heron
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To: reaganaut1

Try as I might, I don’t see anything in this story that is even a hint that Iran called Trump’s bluff. The title given by WSJ is so misleading. Pathetic and desperate.


63 posted on 06/22/2019 5:55:18 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (Worry ends where faith begins.)
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To: reaganaut1

This is hilarious. For years they’ve told us Trump will start world war 3 because he’s trigger happy. He, sanely, decides not to escalate the conflict with Iran and suddenly he’s a coward, blinked etc. Yesterday Iran got to hear stories of how the war mongers wanted to attack and the only reason they didn’t get what they wanted was because Trump stopped them. I think that is a very powerful message not to mention what it says to the electorate. The CNN’s and the MSNBC’s of the world are trying to gin people up onto supporting a war. Even this will make Trump stronger and more dangerous to Iran because if he decides it needs to be done the public will be the ones pushing for it. Channel after channel had to report that Trump prevented a war with Iran because of 150 people. All in all yesterday was a huge win for Trump and to be honest I think he just played and used the media bigly. Down to them making Pompeo and Bolton into the big bads plays really well for Trump in my opinion.


64 posted on 06/22/2019 5:59:57 AM PDT by wiseprince
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To: reaganaut1

—— The question ..... is, whether Iran and other adversaries will see it instead as a sign of weakness and indecision-———

The answer to that question is, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is....... will Iran do it again? Will Iran steal another cookie?

The President revealed that 150 people would die at three targeted sites. Iranian commanders must be worrying........ what three sites? Is one of them mine? Best course is to set our site at maximum readiness. All of Iran becomes on de facto alert even if there is no order from the top.


65 posted on 06/22/2019 6:02:26 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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To: reaganaut1

This is pure BS.


66 posted on 06/22/2019 6:04:13 AM PDT by rrrod (just an old guy with a gun in his pocket)
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To: granada

Yet


67 posted on 06/22/2019 6:04:37 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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To: montag813

——That’s Israel’s job.——

The downed drone event is being taken as an antiAmerican attack. It was not.

The Iranian attack on the American drone was an attack on the Anti Iran coalition. The reaction must not be totally American.

Israei, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the other active members with high stakes in the war. The Presodent’s gambit is not made alone.

The devistating response will be by the coalition


68 posted on 06/22/2019 6:11:31 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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To: offduty

Tucker Carlson despises Bolton for the same reason I do: because Bolton is indistinguishable from anti-Trump @ssholes like Jennifer Rubin, Bill Kristol, Max Boot and Ralph Peters in these matters.


69 posted on 06/22/2019 6:15:51 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: reaganaut1

No author, no read it.


70 posted on 06/22/2019 6:18:26 AM PDT by Justa
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To: reaganaut1
President Trump probably delayed the strike because he watched Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer dancing and high fiving each other after he informed them of the retaliation

It was an ambush and Trump refused to take the bait

71 posted on 06/22/2019 6:27:10 AM PDT by rdcbn
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To: Ouch

“John Kerry is advising Iran in my opinion”

Wait till Kerry is in Iran to attack.


72 posted on 06/22/2019 6:29:31 AM PDT by Pirate Ragnar
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To: ronnie raygun

“They are trying to ruin his re election chances.”

No, he did that all by himself. If he won’t protect American interests for fear of killing our enemies he can go back to WWE.


73 posted on 06/22/2019 6:30:06 AM PDT by Beagle8U (It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you place the blame.)
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To: riverrunner
Ordinarily, yes.

This looks like a coordinated set up to draw President Trump into a military adventure that would tarnish is Presidency anddestroy his re election chances - possibly with collusion between Iran and Democrats headed by traitor in chief John Kerry.

Good chance the whole thing was a scripted ambush and CNN, MSNBC, NY Times and WaPo had their hit pieces already written and the strike plans were already leaked to the Iranians

74 posted on 06/22/2019 6:34:25 AM PDT by rdcbn
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To: reaganaut1

The Wall Street Journal called this an opinion that was written by the editorial board. Not only can they not identify who wrote it, but they filled the piece with confused and unconfirmed statements made to try to give them a way out if it blew up in their face. Such phrases as:

“More Likely,” “May be risking,” “they may be right,”…. And this is from the small part of the article they would let people read before they required you to subscribe to this rag. I wouldn’t use this waste of a tree to cover the bottom of a bird cage.

rwood+


75 posted on 06/22/2019 6:37:27 AM PDT by Redwood71
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To: laconic

-——what wonders the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have wrought.-—

Iranian containment

Iran is surrounded


76 posted on 06/22/2019 6:37:35 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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To: Justa

Cowardly WSJ Editorial Board.


77 posted on 06/22/2019 6:37:38 AM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Redwood71

I stopped reading the WSJ years ago, although they do have Kim Strassel as a reporter. Too many Charles Bartleys (anyone who wants to immigrate to the US can come right in, no questions asked), too much advocacy of foreign wars that have little relation to the national interest, too much belief in free trade when we practice it and the rest of the world does not.


78 posted on 06/22/2019 6:45:09 AM PDT by laconic
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To: xzins
And perhaps it was a plan to speak to the Iranian people.

1. Sometimes telling someone you're willing and ready to kick their ass works better than an actual ass kicking.

2. What would be going through your mind if you're an Iranian citizen and the American President cares more about your life than the Ayotolla?

79 posted on 06/22/2019 6:49:28 AM PDT by seowulf
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To: reaganaut1
Iran hasn't done shit. If President had launched the airstrikes, the same people now would be calling him a murderer. A warmonger. a blood thirsty killer of babies. Recklessly and happily shedding the blood of America's sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives to protect Saudi Oil.

Next will come the "I voted for him, but since he chickened out I won't vote for him again".

He hasn't chickened out on anything. He avoided a trap set by the Never Trumpers, the NWO, and those who profit from the blood of America's Armed Forces members being shed.

He will do something, but it will be in his time and of his choosing.

80 posted on 06/22/2019 7:07:25 AM PDT by sport
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