21Mar2026
How’s the war on Iran going? After it started, people noticed that the Director of National Intelligence was missing in action. She had opposed a war with Iran in many appearances and speeches, but when it occurred anyway, she just went quiet rather than to quit her position and loudly denounce it. Had Trump initiated what he had called a “Forever War?” In the late 1800s, a declaration of war was used to limit the war so that the war wouldn’t drag on forever. The declaration was used to say what the war was being fought over so that at least one of the sides could say when their objectives had been achieved.
So the first job in determining whether or not we’re fighting a forever war is to determine what the objective(s) is/are. Okay, so what are the objectives here?
At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options…
…the Republican president’s erratic strategy has fueled criticism that he is grasping for answers…
Trump tried his hand at a diplomatic solution last weekend when he called for a new international coalition to send warships to the strait.
Allies turned him down. Trump then said the U.S. could manage on its own. On Friday he suggested other countries would have to take over as the U.S. eyes an exit. Hours later he indicated the waterway would somehow “open itself.”
NATO allies turned down Trump’s offer to have them join in because 1. NATO is a defensive alliance, and Trump launched an unprovoked attack, 2. Iran is well outside NATO’s territory and also “Allies are also expected to refrain from using the threat or use of force inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.” There’s no way Trump’s attack fits any definition of a necessary use of force.
Trump eased sanctions on Russia’s ability to sell oil. Both Ukraine and Europe generally saw this as helping Russia at the expense of Ukraine. Trump is concerned about the spiking price of oil (WTI Crude rose from a little over $65 two days before the attack to over $102 on March 30), but it would have been better for him to have consulted with allies first to make sure there wasn’t a better way to solve the problem.
Press Secretary Leavitt offers the usual conservative answer to problems that can be fixed, but only by using liberal measures, she offers “thoughts and prayers!”
Is the Trump Administration dealing with a “more reasonable regime” (Trump) or “lunatics”,SecState Rubio? Under questioning, Rubio walks his statement back to agree with Trump.
The build-up begins (30 March): “Thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division have started arriving in the Middle East” One of the ideas is to seize Kharg Island. The AP points out that taking Kharg would be an extremely risky operation.
US wants a monopoly on Ukrainian weapons and expertise so that they can sell those to Gulf Arab states. Naturally, the US contribued nothing to developing those weapons, so they basically just want to be the middleman and to sell Ukrainian weapons at zero expense to them.
Meeting between SecState Rubio and Saudi Arabia’s bin Salman (Xitter link): Rubio
expressed regret that the Saudi authorities signed defense agreements with Ukraine without consulting the United States
Problem here is that both Ukraine and Saudi Arabia are independent states and are entirely capable of deciding, independently of the US, who they will or will not ally themselves with. The US is doing a a poor job of protecting Saudi Arabia from drone attacks, Ukraine has been dealing with such attacks regularly over the past four years. Of course, the Saudis want better weapons and advice.
Overall, the fact that Ukraine is taking advantage of the administration’s Iran War is really bugging Trump. What is Ukraine offering the Gulf monarchies? “battlefield know-how, fast adaptation, cheaper interception and production partnerships.” Ukraine used to be dependent on the US for such expertise, but years of warfare have turned the tables. Ukraine is also offering sea drones to escort shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. We’ll see if that works. It would obviously still be a risk for the escorted ships, but the good news for the escort vessels is that they won’t lose any people. Also, there won’t be any TV pictures of burning and sinking escort vessels.
Ukraine has branched out from bombing oil refining plants and is now hitting oil export platforms. The export tanks and docks near St. Petersburg are burning fiercely after being hit multiple times by drones.
Good news on the legal front. Trump’s planned ballroom: “Trump melts down as judge halts White House ballroom project, attacks ‘radical group of lunatics’”
The House passed the Save Act. The Senate has had it since March 17th. Judging from Trump’s frantic threats:
President Trump is calling on Senate Leader John Thune to CANCEL senators’ paid vacation, COME BACK and FUND DHS/ICE. Congress must return now!
the Act appears to be in serious trouble. Seems Trump has concluded that the Act won’t pass as he’s gone to his back-up plan, to write an Executive Order that will override the perceived need for the SAVE Act. Like the Act, the order is a solution in search of a problem, unless of course the “problem” is that the American people will vote in Democrats this November.
The Trump Administration wants to get a list of Jewish employees who work at the University of Pennsylvania. Sure, what the heck? Why not? It’s not like seeking lists of a particular ethnicity ever led to purges of any sort.
No Kings march
28Mar2026
Pictured is a small, remote pre-demonstration a few miles North of Philadelphia.
The “No Kings” protest of March 28 reached about eight million protesters at over 3,300 events. Short of the 12 million or 3.5% of the population necessary to make political change happen, but well on the way to getting there. At the very least, liberals struggling against Trump policies feel less alone and less isolated.
So I did finally make it to the big, central Philly event, but as we said in the Navy “Proper prior planning prevents poor performance” and well, my planning was less than ideal, so I made it, but by the time I got to within sight of the stage, people were heading back in droves, so I got video of the returning crowd, from which we can get an idea of the demographics of who attended and the signs they were carrying.
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