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Iran War Drums: Symptom of Trump Derangement Syndrome, or Trump’s Support?

Iranian attacks on U.S. and allied assets has made strange bedfellows of Americans who support and who oppose President Trump. Are these Iran war drums a symptom of unquestioning support for the president, or of Trump Derangement Syndrome?

Iranian attacks on U.S. and allied assets has made strange bedfellows of Americans who support and who oppose President Trump. Are these Iran war drums a symptom of unquestioning support for the president, or of Trump Derangement Syndrome?

11 replies on “Iran War Drums: Symptom of Trump Derangement Syndrome, or Trump’s Support?”

One thing that Scott mentioned that hasn’t gotten a lot of notice: I believe this is the first time that the US has officially acknowledged that we have conducted a cyberattack. It’s been suspected before, and we had previously announced that Cybercom would be developing offensive cyber warfare capabilities. But this is the first time that the US has publicly stated that we have, and have used offensive cyberwarfare methods.

Good point. The interesting thing about acknowledging a cyber attack is that who really knows what than means. We may or may not have done anything. From Iran’s perspective if they have not noticed anything, they may be thinking they better continue the vigilant search and not trust what their systems are telling them or if the have seen something suspicious who knows if that was it or all of it. Saying we have launched a cyber attack is as much PSYOPS as anything intended to keep them guessing.

The cyber attack reminded of the Star Trek episode “A Taste of Armageddon”, which used computers to simulate war and the “victims” of the pretend attack have to report to disintegration chambers per the treaty. That way, the population is culled while preserving the infrastructure. This is how “civilized” people fight.

Cyber attacks can kill, even without disintegration chambers. Knock out the electrical grid, and it’s estimated 90% of the population of the US will die.

I think the takeaway from “A Taste of Armageddon” is that war had become too tidy. As soon as both sides were faced with a real very messy war, with real very messy injuries, real very messy blood, and real very messy damage, they were ready to do whatever it took to stop it.

The trick here is going to be imposing consequences that are severe enough that Iran would rather make peace than continue to endure them.

I saw pictures of the Iranians with pieces of the drone… Sure, it was unmanned, sure it was millions of dollars (think, development costs, sure to come down in price with the making of more and even selling it to ‘friends’), but what I worry about is whether there was enough of the pieces to reverse engineer the thing.
Still, all in all, I think President Trump was a wizard in how he played all the angles, including the internal politics.

Sometimes I wish Conservative commentators would pause to consider other angles before opening their mouths. Trump is waging a circular campaign. That is, he is surrounded by enemies foreign and domestic. And he is a master at ducking so that the bullet from one enemy will strike the other.

He announced his non-attack to show America and the world that far from being hot headed, he is cool and calculating. And he used it to make his Democrat opponents go crazy and demand war…which will loose them Minnesota (and more votes than before in the Scandinavian northern Mid-West) if they keep it up. (I have seen serious analysis that the children of immigrants from Scandinavia who largely live in the Mid-West have NEVER, I mean NEVER voted for a president they saw as a hawk even if every other state voted for him and we currently were not at war.) I say it was brilliant. If I recall, Chuck and Nancy took credit for talking him into the attack, one news outlet announced it had already happened, and then nothing. Just poo falling out of Nancy’s mouth again.

The cyberattack and more sanctions was his real response to Iran…and probably always was. And Trump still gives off the crazy vibe that you can not be sure of his reasoning next time. The next unmanned drone may be one drone too many. Who knows.

I do know that Trump is demanding our allies get involved in policing the Straits of Hormuz instead of relying on the US to do it. Which I think will wig out China, because they have been trying to wrangle space for military bases on the African coast there (so that they can gain control of the trade through the Persian Gulf). Which will embolden North Korea to keep the promises they made just yesterday believing it is better to make a big brother of the US and not China. And Trump makes the Dominoes fall all over while the some simply sit and pontificate.

The cyberattack and more sanctions was his real response to Iran…and probably always was.
I agree with this and I think there are two other aspects. 1) What did we really hit with cyber attacks? Could it possibly have been their radar systems? 2) The planes are 10 minutes or so from launching point, outside of Iran’s ability to attack and maybe even see. And he tells them they were there.
This strikes me as: We can fly right up to your door even with your radar, but we can knock out your radar before we fly up next time. Stay in your shrinking box.

As I understand it, the “company” or whatever that was that was hit with the cyberattack was an intelligence company in Iran that participated in the drone attack. Of course Iran knows that it could easily be their radar or electric grid, etc.

Israel and the US have been developing some very powerful cyber weapons. Trump is just the first president to be willing to talk about them. Although I wouldn’t look for him to explain how they work, he believes that acknowledging what we can do and threatening to use our power more is more powerful than actually using our abilities…except in controlled demonstrations. Many experts have laughed at what magical powers fearful power brokers in the Middle East have subscribed to Mossad which they don’t truly possess. Daring puts off an aura of power that is larger than one’s actual abilities.

I love to see the discussion and the different views you guys have. Bill, before Trump (BT) and probably before Obama (he was never going to do anything but coddle them no matter what they did), I would have been in agreement but after Trump (AT) things have gotten strange… Way more Anti-America. Trump is dealing with:
1. Hostile Iranian leadership who openly chant “Death to America”.
2. Hostile media who outright lie and distort everything Trump daily.
3. Hostile, completely off the rails democrats who would rather see America destroyed than Trump have 1 more success, and are gearing up for a 2020 election looking for any ammo they can find.
and
4. Hostile never Trumper’s Republicans who are criticizing, undermining and blocking everything good happening.

In my opinion, for the sake of America, I think this whole thing would need to get a lot worse before I would start blowing things up and killing their people. Maybe not 9/11 worse but something provable than brings America together. I believe that once it starts, we better be ready to do what it takes finish it.

I am not sure America is even close to one mind now although I think we are closer than the media leads to believe. 9/11 was almost 20 years ago, I doubt most people under 30 (25 for sure) even have a memory of it … open hostility among people with issues that are promoted by lies is all too common and the fabric of the culture is being severely stressed.

Steve, I have to agree with you. Shrink the box in every way we can and let them continue to show who they really are. Hopefully the Iranian people, the middle east, and the entire world will tire of this tyrannical Islamic Republic and natural turn over will occur.

On the positive side, we know we have the ability to eliminate their military effectiveness and pretty much anything else we need to whenever we need to if it comes to that.

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