Win the War Already

I have a solution to President Trump’s Iran war problem. It’s pretty simple. Hear me out.

Win the war.

Let me use a sportsball analogy. As Las Vegas Raiders owner Al Davis famously commanded, “Just win, baby.”

We’re doing the on-again/off-again thing again, and it’s getting old. Of course, we have largely achieved our core military objectives. Iran’s ability to generate combat power has been substantially degraded. Their air defenses have been shredded. Their nuclear program has been set back a decade or more. They cannot shut the Strait of Hormuz — they can only make threats and launch the occasional drone or missile. These are impressive results, achieved with relatively low American losses. And for those of you now screaming that we did in fact suffer casualties, stop acting like children. There are 50-square-yard chunks of Omaha Beach where we took multiples of the total U.S. casualties suffered in this entire campaign.

So, to claim we’ve “lost” the war raises that classic “Is he stupid or does he think we’re stupid?” question that we face so often in the current discourse. But while we’ve hit many of our operational goals, we haven’t achieved the main strategic one: removing the regime. That’s winning. And it’s undeniable.

So, let’s win this. Let’s finish it.

Look at the benefits of winning the war. The primary benefit is winning it. Finally taking out the mullahs and their ridiculous 7th-century regime solves a problem that has plagued the region for nearly half a century. Imagine the Middle East without these Persian pissants stirring the pot. Wouldn’t you like to turn on the news and not hear new outrages or atrocities from that part of the world? I’ve never been able to do that during my entire life. I want to start. And the starting point is making Iran’s current rulers ex-mullahs.

Winning the fight also solves the political problem. Let’s be very clear: President Donald Trump is a hero for finally fighting back against Iran. He didn’t have to. He could have kicked the can down the road. He could have spent 2026 basking in economic growth. His policies would have continued delivering results. He could have waltzed into the midterms, dragging Republicans behind him toward success. But he had the courage to do what was necessary to stop these bastards before they made it impossible to prevent them from getting a bomb. However this war ends, he deserves our thanks.

But he’s paid a political price, and Republicans in general have paid it, too. Oh, I don’t want to let them off the hook. They’re not in trouble solely because Donald Trump is fighting the war with Iran. They’re in trouble because they suck — because too many have been weak and useless, and far too many are preening, posturing, perfumed princesses with delusions of adequacy. But enough about John Cornyn and Thom Tillis.

The continuing war presents a political problem for Donald Trump, but the good news is there’s a solution. The political problem with a war in Iran is not that we are making war on Iran. Everybody except the Democrats — who seem to love anyone who hates America — wants to see the mullahs go. Americans don’t mind the war so much as us not winning it. Americans aren’t pacifists. When they need to go to war, they’re fine with it — but they want it done so they can get back to other things.

And here, that hasn’t happened. This has dragged out. Yes, Donald Trump gave them multiple chances to negotiate and, as usual, the enemy has consistently chosen the most obnoxious possible course — as anyone watching Iran for the last half-century knew they would. He gave it the old college try. And another try. And another. The other side isn’t interested in pushing for a deal, so how about we help them push up some daisies?

As Maximus Decimus Meridius ordered, “At my signal, unleash hell.”

President Trump, give the signal.

What am I talking about? A comprehensive, multilateral, multi-domain campaign leveraging every element of national power — starting with, but not ending with, military power. Hold nothing back except the hot rocks that make mushroom clouds.

Multilaterally, it’s time to tell the Israelis “game on” and for our Arab allies from Jordan to Oman to get in the fight. Everybody fights; nobody quits. If we don’t finish this, the Iranians will come back and finish our friends. Time to put on the big-boy robes and put all those expensive toys they bought to work. Will the Iranians hit back? Yeah, a little. Oh, well. Take the hit and hit back harder. And keep hitting.

Multi-domain: land, sea, air, space, cyber — hit them everywhere at once. Seize Kharg Island. Strike from the sea, from the air, and through the wires. Target anything tied to the regime, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It owns a bunch of so-called legitimate businesses, just like the mafia used to. Flatten them. Whether it’s a construction company, a gas refinery, or a massage parlor, put a bomb on it. At the same time, unleash the Israelis to do what they do best: find the leaders and kill them. Whether it’s a bomb through the window, a bullet through the brain, or a little drone hunting them down, if they’re a regime leader, it’s 72-virgins time.

Israel has thoroughly infiltrated Iranian society — time to use that to push for revolution. And when the Iranian people finally stand up — because only they can do that part of the job — we need to be flying air support and giving them all the guns they want. Hell, maybe we can buy some of our own back from the Afghans that Joe Biden left behind. But no more screwing around. Keep the pressure on. If there are to be negotiations, let them be over the terms of unconditional surrender, so there’s nothing to negotiate. Of course, they won’t surrender, which only makes our mission clearer. Finish the enemy. Comprehensively.

Will this work? If we have the courage and the commitment. The only way our enemies ever stop us is if we stop ourselves. So, let’s not stop. Look at Iraq: for years we allowed a stalemate until George W. Bush surged our forces and they broke the back of the resistance. The mullahs are not going to go easy. They’re religious fanatics convinced of ultimate victory. Let’s disabuse them of that notion the hard way.

Of course, people like me who support actively winning the war — instead of abandoning it or letting it fester like a suppurating wound — will get called “neocons” or “warmongers” by idiots. Oh no, mean names — we should totally give up lest they taunt us a second time. But this isn’t about personalities. It’s about our country. We need to win this. And the way to win this war is to win it. That means leveraging our military capability to the maximum and denying the enemy any respite or sanctuary to rebuild.

But it’s not all military. We must fully leverage the other elements of national power. Use diplomatic power to force our allies — including the NATO freeloaders who’ve been shirking responsibility for keeping the sea lanes open — to do what’s necessary. Focus information warfare on showing the Iranian people there is hope and their leaders that there is none. Economic power? Cut off every stream of income into Iran and force countries holding the mullahs’ ill-gotten gains to turn those dollars over. Bankrupt this corrupt regime. Leave their thugs unpaid. And make it clear that the random general who throws them out and then befriends us will be rich beyond the dreams of any previous Persian pasha.

Is victory certain? Nothing is certain, but it is overwhelmingly likely if we simply do it. We are the United States of America. We can do this. All we have to do is decide we want to win — and then act accordingly. Ruthlessly. Ferociously. Relentlessly.

It bears repeating: “Just win, baby.”

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