A sign of the degraded U.S. state of affairs is an Aug. 24 article in The Wall Street Journal which reports that U.S. intelligence, then still led by Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, accurately forecast what would happen if the US were to launch a major military assault on Iran. According to the Journal, Trump had summoned his intelligence chief to the Oval Office a few days prior to the Feb. 28 launching of the war to ask whether a full-on assault was a good idea.
“According to people familiar with the meeting, she told Trump that killing Iran’s supreme leader would likely usher in a more hard-line regime open to acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran would rush to close the Strait of Hormuz, destabilizing the global energy market. And it would strike U.S. forces and partners in the Middle East, prompting questions about American resolve and reliability with allies.
“The notes of caution echoed warnings Trump was receiving from all corners. Top military leaders told the president that a war would lead to casualties, concerns about the weapons stockpile and readiness problems for an overstretched force.”
Trump ignored these warnings, apparently believing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Iran was “at its weakest point in decades” and ripe for overthrow. “Nearly six months later, a conflict the president promised would be over within six weeks is continuing without a clear end in sight,” the Journal notes.
