There was an imminent threat…to him. It was absolutely urgent for him to direct attention away from his Epstein-related crimes.
From what’s now on the front pages, triggering WWIII may just do the trick.
Remember this.
Trump has only one goal: to be the most important person who has ever (or who will ever have) lived. And from what he’s unleashed in Iran, he may just achieve that goal.
Eh. I think Trump has the Epstein files totally locked down, unfortunately. He decides what gets released, and the last bit of chum they threw out was perfectly calibrated to make everybody start talking about everybody BUT Trump. That THAT, George Mitchell...
(This dynamic is going to make him very, very reluctant to give up office, even by his standards.)
There was certainly an imminent threat of gaslighting and deception from our leaders. Although, imminent is the wrong word here as well. The correct term is "constant."
Now we are eying Cuba? When will Trump find it necessary to reinstitute the draft, dormant since 1973? Do not kid yourselves, he would do it and make it mandatory only for black and brown people.
I honestly don't think it's a concern, because he doesn't have any particular goals. His thought seems to be to use threats to make existing governments do what he wants. It's not clear from that that he is willing to escalate to invasions.
And even if there were invasions... nah, there will not be a draft. Go ahead, Trump, go to the graduating class of 2025, and tell them they just got drafted into a war, and see how that goes for you. I'll wait. It's just a matter of whether non-participation or willful incompetence would be a larger problem. Anything less than "full scale invasion by China" and it's not even in the pantry, let alone on the table.
Interestingly, that people aren't willing to be drafted to fight in a war is something that can be interpreted as a decline in national character or an improvement. Maybe it's just different.
Will provides another excellent, relentless dismantling of Trump admin bs. If only we lived in a world of rational assessment...
Take a little walk with me as I ponder how our American mindset is (d)evolving on the concept of 'threat' and in favor of pre-emption as self-defense.
As a young 'grownup' in the 1970s I became aware of the Castle Doctrine. Friend of mine experienced months of escalating harassment, vandalism, & violence from a dangerous person. Police gave insufficient help (the ol' 'can't do anything till we see him commit a crime' sort of thing). So my friend bought a gun for self defense & practiced its use. Thug eventually broke into my friend's house one night. He described knowing not to shoot until the guy was well inside.... long seconds when an armed belligerent is coming at you. Psychologically, my friend was never the same but at least suffered no legal repercussions that tragic night.
Sometime later I recall a case in Ohio papers about a guy who shot from his upstairs window at someone stealing his car. That homeowner was charged (don't recall outcome) because the law forbade deadly force to protect property - no life at stake, no Castle Defense. Back then, Ohio also had a duty to retreat - get away from a dangerous situation if possible, before self-defense with deadly force could be justified. Plus, burden of proving validity of self-defense was on the person making the claim.
All that changed over a couple decades. I followed the news even after moving West. 'Stand your ground' became the motto nationwide. OH was kinda late to join in - passed a full-on Stand Your Ground law in 2021, 30 states had already done so. A person claiming self-defense no longer had the burden of proof; now the State has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that self-defense doesn't apply, not just in one's castle but even in public spaces; no more duty to retreat - fire away! Looking at violent & major property crime stats in Ohio over previous couple decades, the state was generally becoming safer or holding on level, so these changes were NOT in reaction to growing/imminent threat. Throughout the 2010s, Ohio’s violent crime rate was BELOW national average and was decreasing faster than the national average was declining. But Ohio chose to act as though people needed MORE legal room to shoot their neighbors for perceived threats.
Not slagging my native soil here - using this as my closest observed change in mindset, laws, & cultural norms. The result is greater allowance individually to determine what constitutes a potential threat and to greet that perception with deadly force... all while the actual rate of such threat objectively declined.
Kinda feels like Trump's mindset is peak example of this, all the way down in his cabal. Iran: imminent threat since 1979! Fast boats in the Caribbean: "every boat kills 25,000 people." Venezuela: "Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs... to terrorise American communities." Renee Good: "domestic terrorism... attempted to run a law enforcement officer over" (Noem). Alex Pretti: “would-be assassin... tried to murder federal agents” (Miller).
As individuals, as a nation, we conjure up fears from the least sense of discomfort or vague tingle of worry, then amplify it with resentments and any past slights or prejudices, and turn it all into rationale to justify striking first. Doesn't have to be true - that's hindsight!
When Condoleezza Rice said, "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud" she was crystalizing this mindset: I pronounce you guilty of the worst thing I can imagine you might be capable of in the future. We've spent the last 2 decades institutionalizing it into what we now call self-defense.
Thinking back to this guy - fortunately, I guess he wasn't packing or it would have ended so much worse: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HU4_ufWgP9Y ...well, if you FEEL threatened anything goes, right?
The verbal gymnastics that Team Trump is engaging in to justify this war are mind boggling. We won't easily erase this stain, not even if a future Democrat restored USAID, worked with Latin American countries to build healthy democracies, and forced Israel to agree to a two-state solution. The people elected a Destroyer and he won't stop until we make him and force those who support him to recognize that we are heading into disaster.
"Lost a fighter jet off one of our carriers in the Red Sea: imminent threat." - that one is a bit wild. The Houthis, an Iranian client, shot a few missiles at a carrier group and in the confusion, the USS Gettysburg shot down a friendly Hornet. That was what this was referring to.
In neither case was Iran involved, nor even the Houthis. Turns out we're quite capable of losing our aircraft all by ourselves, thank you very much 🤦♂️
The discussion of "imminent" reminds me that an "emergency" can be anything a president says is an emergency. When truth doesn't matter then words mean whatever you say they mean.
None of them, because they have nuclear weapons. Kind of the point of why the Iranians want them.. and why we do not want them to have them.
If people were REALLY worried about Islamic Fundamentalists having nukes, the the Islamic Republic of Pakistan would have been a parking lot a good while back.
I expect some of the NATO countries that aren't nuclear to go nuclear soon. It could happen quick. Why? Because we are becoming just as much of a threat as Russia.
There IS an imminent threat. But the threat here is to Israel (at least in Bibi's brain) and not to the USA. Bibi is the puppet master and Trump is his puppet.
You are looking at the war from the wrong angle Will. This is Israel's war being fought with American resources.
And the expert USA & IDF sharp shooters have already blasted 1 girls school and around 10-13 hospitals / health facilities. (The 'legal' justification that everyone present in the school and hospitals are terrorists will come after an 'investigation'.)
I don't understand this fetish with hospitals. It almost looks like they get much more kick out of seeing wounded people and children die in agony. How can they sleep peacefully at night?
And then, Bibi will claim in a press conference the very next day proclaiming confidently that Iran is 1 week from actually having an atom bomb. Iran with the bomb is to Bibi what Tariffs are to Trump.
It's wonderful how Israel and America can't get rid of their very very corrupt leaders but will free all the other countries from their corrupt leaders. ☺️
Now that regime change in Iran is achieved, can the world think about regime changes in Israel and America instead....
Trump wasn’t lying.
There was an imminent threat…to him. It was absolutely urgent for him to direct attention away from his Epstein-related crimes.
From what’s now on the front pages, triggering WWIII may just do the trick.
Remember this.
Trump has only one goal: to be the most important person who has ever (or who will ever have) lived. And from what he’s unleashed in Iran, he may just achieve that goal.
Eh. I think Trump has the Epstein files totally locked down, unfortunately. He decides what gets released, and the last bit of chum they threw out was perfectly calibrated to make everybody start talking about everybody BUT Trump. That THAT, George Mitchell...
(This dynamic is going to make him very, very reluctant to give up office, even by his standards.)
There was certainly an imminent threat of gaslighting and deception from our leaders. Although, imminent is the wrong word here as well. The correct term is "constant."
What a bunch of idiots getting us into this completely unnecessary war.
Now we are eying Cuba? When will Trump find it necessary to reinstitute the draft, dormant since 1973? Do not kid yourselves, he would do it and make it mandatory only for black and brown people.
I honestly don't think it's a concern, because he doesn't have any particular goals. His thought seems to be to use threats to make existing governments do what he wants. It's not clear from that that he is willing to escalate to invasions.
And even if there were invasions... nah, there will not be a draft. Go ahead, Trump, go to the graduating class of 2025, and tell them they just got drafted into a war, and see how that goes for you. I'll wait. It's just a matter of whether non-participation or willful incompetence would be a larger problem. Anything less than "full scale invasion by China" and it's not even in the pantry, let alone on the table.
Interestingly, that people aren't willing to be drafted to fight in a war is something that can be interpreted as a decline in national character or an improvement. Maybe it's just different.
Will provides another excellent, relentless dismantling of Trump admin bs. If only we lived in a world of rational assessment...
Take a little walk with me as I ponder how our American mindset is (d)evolving on the concept of 'threat' and in favor of pre-emption as self-defense.
As a young 'grownup' in the 1970s I became aware of the Castle Doctrine. Friend of mine experienced months of escalating harassment, vandalism, & violence from a dangerous person. Police gave insufficient help (the ol' 'can't do anything till we see him commit a crime' sort of thing). So my friend bought a gun for self defense & practiced its use. Thug eventually broke into my friend's house one night. He described knowing not to shoot until the guy was well inside.... long seconds when an armed belligerent is coming at you. Psychologically, my friend was never the same but at least suffered no legal repercussions that tragic night.
Sometime later I recall a case in Ohio papers about a guy who shot from his upstairs window at someone stealing his car. That homeowner was charged (don't recall outcome) because the law forbade deadly force to protect property - no life at stake, no Castle Defense. Back then, Ohio also had a duty to retreat - get away from a dangerous situation if possible, before self-defense with deadly force could be justified. Plus, burden of proving validity of self-defense was on the person making the claim.
All that changed over a couple decades. I followed the news even after moving West. 'Stand your ground' became the motto nationwide. OH was kinda late to join in - passed a full-on Stand Your Ground law in 2021, 30 states had already done so. A person claiming self-defense no longer had the burden of proof; now the State has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that self-defense doesn't apply, not just in one's castle but even in public spaces; no more duty to retreat - fire away! Looking at violent & major property crime stats in Ohio over previous couple decades, the state was generally becoming safer or holding on level, so these changes were NOT in reaction to growing/imminent threat. Throughout the 2010s, Ohio’s violent crime rate was BELOW national average and was decreasing faster than the national average was declining. But Ohio chose to act as though people needed MORE legal room to shoot their neighbors for perceived threats.
Not slagging my native soil here - using this as my closest observed change in mindset, laws, & cultural norms. The result is greater allowance individually to determine what constitutes a potential threat and to greet that perception with deadly force... all while the actual rate of such threat objectively declined.
Kinda feels like Trump's mindset is peak example of this, all the way down in his cabal. Iran: imminent threat since 1979! Fast boats in the Caribbean: "every boat kills 25,000 people." Venezuela: "Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs... to terrorise American communities." Renee Good: "domestic terrorism... attempted to run a law enforcement officer over" (Noem). Alex Pretti: “would-be assassin... tried to murder federal agents” (Miller).
As individuals, as a nation, we conjure up fears from the least sense of discomfort or vague tingle of worry, then amplify it with resentments and any past slights or prejudices, and turn it all into rationale to justify striking first. Doesn't have to be true - that's hindsight!
When Condoleezza Rice said, "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud" she was crystalizing this mindset: I pronounce you guilty of the worst thing I can imagine you might be capable of in the future. We've spent the last 2 decades institutionalizing it into what we now call self-defense.
Thinking back to this guy - fortunately, I guess he wasn't packing or it would have ended so much worse: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HU4_ufWgP9Y ...well, if you FEEL threatened anything goes, right?
God bless us every one
How about the "They looked at us funny" provisio in Article 1, Section 3 of the Mob Rules of Engagement?
The verbal gymnastics that Team Trump is engaging in to justify this war are mind boggling. We won't easily erase this stain, not even if a future Democrat restored USAID, worked with Latin American countries to build healthy democracies, and forced Israel to agree to a two-state solution. The people elected a Destroyer and he won't stop until we make him and force those who support him to recognize that we are heading into disaster.
Are we now allowed to say that the threat of a fascist government replacing our democracy is "imminent"? Or is that an inappropriate use of the word?
As always, Will makes me laugh. Not just because of how well the points are made, but because he always shows us the receipts. Thanks, Will.
“But we have become spoiled.” Chilling thought.
"Lost a fighter jet off one of our carriers in the Red Sea: imminent threat." - that one is a bit wild. The Houthis, an Iranian client, shot a few missiles at a carrier group and in the confusion, the USS Gettysburg shot down a friendly Hornet. That was what this was referring to.
Weiwen - he may have been using 'lost... off one of our carriers' more literally, as in 'oops we dropped it overboard' - see https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-navy-lost-67-million-fighter-jet-sea-fell-aircraft-carrier-rcna203444
...or maybe he meant a landing malfunction - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-fighter-jet-assigned-to-uss-truman-lost-red-sea-second-time/
In neither case was Iran involved, nor even the Houthis. Turns out we're quite capable of losing our aircraft all by ourselves, thank you very much 🤦♂️
The imminent threat was that the U.S. and Iran would agree on a deal to not build nukes before:
a) Bibi and the sheiks had their 'last best chance' to kill the mullahs, and
b) Hegseth got his God of Thunderbolts War.
The discussion of "imminent" reminds me that an "emergency" can be anything a president says is an emergency. When truth doesn't matter then words mean whatever you say they mean.
Operation "Epic Ego" is best translated as "I want to".
Do another nation's nuclear weapons potentially pose a possible eminent threat to the U.S. and our citizens?
Possibly.
Which nations possess nuclear weapons?
Russia. Israel, India. Pakistan. France, the United Kingdom. the People's Republic of China. North Korea.
Which of these will the U.S. next attack based on the vaguely defined charge of "imminent threat"?
https://youtu.be/2yfXgu37iyI?si=b819BaiUR36-Sk9y
None of them, because they have nuclear weapons. Kind of the point of why the Iranians want them.. and why we do not want them to have them.
If people were REALLY worried about Islamic Fundamentalists having nukes, the the Islamic Republic of Pakistan would have been a parking lot a good while back.
I expect some of the NATO countries that aren't nuclear to go nuclear soon. It could happen quick. Why? Because we are becoming just as much of a threat as Russia.
Well, there's that. shipmate.
Excellent article and I am also enjoying the comments. Grateful for this community. Certainly do see a straight line from Bush-Iraq to this nightmare.
There IS an imminent threat. But the threat here is to Israel (at least in Bibi's brain) and not to the USA. Bibi is the puppet master and Trump is his puppet.
You are looking at the war from the wrong angle Will. This is Israel's war being fought with American resources.
And the expert USA & IDF sharp shooters have already blasted 1 girls school and around 10-13 hospitals / health facilities. (The 'legal' justification that everyone present in the school and hospitals are terrorists will come after an 'investigation'.)
I don't understand this fetish with hospitals. It almost looks like they get much more kick out of seeing wounded people and children die in agony. How can they sleep peacefully at night?
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/03/minab-school-bombing-how-the-worst-mass-casualty-event-of-the-iran-war-unfolded-a-visual-guide
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/05/at-least-dozen-hospital-and-health-facilities-in-iran-hit-since-us-israel-attacks-began-who-says
I am sure that Bibi is willing to fight the Iranians to the very last American.
And then, Bibi will claim in a press conference the very next day proclaiming confidently that Iran is 1 week from actually having an atom bomb. Iran with the bomb is to Bibi what Tariffs are to Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzmtdwsef8s
It's wonderful how Israel and America can't get rid of their very very corrupt leaders but will free all the other countries from their corrupt leaders. ☺️
Now that regime change in Iran is achieved, can the world think about regime changes in Israel and America instead....