Trump "... started a war without a plan, wasted billions of dollars in equipment, failed to prepare obvious targets

[riversedge]

May 23
I don’t often agree with Kagan but he seems to be right that this is what Trump is hoping for.

He started a war without a plan, wasted billions of dollars in equipment, failed to prepare obvious targets for defense, which resulted in unnecessary deaths of American soldiers, hollowed out the Pentagon’s ability to assess targets, which resulted in us murdering over 150 civilians, mostly girls, when we bombed their elementary school in Minab, handed Iran incredible strategic victory by allowing them to take de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz and show that we are powerless to stop it, exposed the strategic isolation of the U.S. that his antagonism to our allies has brought us in, and now he’s trying to slink away with some cockamamie cover that he’s going to use to claim victory.

The Iran hawks are clamoring for him to “finish the job” but he’s already finished, and Iran knows it. He doesn’t have a mandate to send ground troops, and even he he orders more bombing, it will be a cosmetic tactic designed to disguise the defeat. What can you possibly accomplish by trying the exact same thing after it failed the first time except now you have depleted a lot of the ammo and Congress has gotten more assertive about not expanding the war?

Link to tweet

?s=20

[samsingh]

1. this man bankrupted many companies - who's only capable of stealing from what's already there

that's his plan

nothing constructive

[Martin68]

7. Trump fired all the experts and appointed toadies and yes-men. They all supported his cockamamie "plan" to

bomb Iraq without a second (or even a first) thought. He perfectly engineered his own (and our country's) defeat.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Mostly Correct

I take issue with it being HIS plan.
There is no evidence he has ever planned anything.
It's somebody's stupid plan, but I highly doubt he was capable of even this screwed up idea.

[Martin68]

16. Perhaps you missed the quotation marks I put around the word "plan," indicating it was not truly a plan at all.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Either Way...

...it was not him.
We agree that there was no real plan. But, whatever they had that badly passed for a plan wasn't formulated by The Failure.

[Ocelot II]

2. The original article, from Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/trump-surrender-iran-endgame/687252/?gift=xvLgBqzb2OTKrrgtPA3CYi0AiWwHNdepgAj3d_hsz3A&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[Amaryllis]

10. Well worth the read.

[IronLionZion]

3. Companies that make missiles love this plan

because that used up ammo needs to be replenished. US has to buy more missiles. Countries all over the Middle East are going to need more interceptor missiles.

[Justice matters.]

8. And they're also going to need new drones...

To make dumb and dumber richer.

And dump wants the IRS to never audit them for years.

That's a "win" (for them) if Republicrooks in Congress fall in line to show their cowardice.

[IronLionZion]

15. It may be easier to have Treasury hand them suitcases full of cash

instead of killing so many people and wrecking global supply chains.

[BeneteauBum]

4. Loser.....Again

Another failed endeavor……

Peace ☮️

[wnylib]

9. I am wondering whether it is a failure or intentional.

Putin has his eye on Europe. As a result of Hormuz being closed, oil is scarcer and more expensive for Europe. But Putin still has access to oil.

[BeneteauBum]

13. I've considered the same.

However this pays out, most Americans are pissed at the waste and fraud.

Peace ☮️

[ColoringFool]

5. Trump "Fails" Upwards, Always. FOLLOW THE MONEY.

[Botany]

6. Total U.S. surrender. Donny, "you will get so sick of winning all the time that you will beg me to stop winning.

nice job, Donald Trump

— George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 (@gtconway.bsky.social) 2026-05-24T00:38:45.202Z

[gulliver]

11. We need to consider the plight of the Iranian people

Iranians judge. They and they alone have the final say about whether the unintentional collateral loss of innocent life (roughly 150 schoolkids) in their country was a necessary price for their chance at freedom from tyranny.

Remember, there was a brutish, sadistic, intentional murder of tens of thousands of liberal and progressive Iranian protesters (our true friends and allies as Democrats). Those innocent liberal and progressive victims are justly and accurately called "murder" victims.

They were murdered by far right, theocratic, homophobic, patriarchal, crony oligarchic bigots, the Iranian Islamic Republic regime. It can't be seen clearly and justly in any other way, imo. It's cut and dried.

The Islamic Republic regime dwarfs anything or anyone else in rottenness and (a term I use sparingly) evil. There is no moral or even vaguely respectable position that fails to want the Iranian Islamic Republic regime to lose. (That's an unnecessary reminder to folks with a functioning conscience like present company in this board and in the Democratic Party.)

Do I like that Trump destroyed the Iran nuclear agreement we achieved under Obama? Of course not. But we are where we are, and we need to win if possible. I think no true Dem, completely informed, wants anything else. The Iranian Islamic Republic regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I don't think any of us will be happy or safe if Trump fails to ensure that.

[flvegan]

12. Stopped talking about the Epstein files for a minute though. n/t

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. trump had no strategy or plan

[Initech]

19. And it was all just to pad Fox News slop content.

[GoodRaisin]

20. Pretty good assessment.