Is Iran the Next Iraq? Bolton and Netanyahu Hope So.
by Bob Schwartz
Benjamin Netanyahu’s PowerPoint presentation “proving” that Iran is lying and secretly continuing to pursue a nuclear program is unsettling—but not in the way he meant it.
It is unsettling, at least for Americans, because it is so reminiscent of the case being made in 2003 that Saddam Hussein had secret Weapons of Mass Destruction, and that only an invasion of Iraq would secure the safe future of Iraq, the region, and the world.
If you don’t know the history of the non-existent “proof” (there weren’t any WMDs), the combination of lies that led us into the war anyway, and the outcomes of that war in Iraq, please look it up.
Among the three power players in this scene—Trump, National Security Adviser Bolton, and Netanyahu—only Trump is ignorant of history, geopolitics, or anything needed to understand the situation. Bolton and Netanyahu know exactly what is going on and exactly what they want to happen.
Both Bolton and Netanyahu would like to take Iran out—not quite in the existential sense, but pretty close. In its current posture, including the non-nuclear deal and freedom from sanctions, Iran is growing as a power. Bolton and Netanyahu want to stop that progress dead in its tracks. Whether or not Iran has a secret program is irrelevant. It is a bad actor and it has to be stopped.
Israel is saying that if the rest of the world won’t stop this, Israel will. Bolton’s position, as he will explain it to Trump in the simplest terms (with pictures), is that Israel and America are threatened by this news, and we should help Israel—no matter what the other weak, Muslim-tolerating European countries think.
It is getting harder to see how the Middle East gets out of this increasingly complicated and tragic mess. Syria. Kurds. Turkey. Israel. Gaza. Palestinians. Jerusalem embassy. Iran. Bolton. Netanyahu. Trump. For starters. Help us Obi Wan Kushner, only you can save us now.
Bob Schwartz 
Trump is 71 so, just as a casual observer of history, he would remember WMDs and Iraq. That was part of his campaign–he locked horns with the Bush family on that! Has he already forgotten? I wonder how often Trump wakes up and is startled to find himself in the White House.
“Casual observer of history” is one key of your comment. Yes, back in the day he seemed to “know” that something was going on in Iraq, and opposed the war. But even then, his shallow thinking and lack of outward attention (effects of his pathological narcissism) were apparent. Which brings me to another key of your comment, that Trump is 71. The exact nature of Trump’s cognitive, psychological and intellectual shortcomings is indeterminate, but present. So if Trump has forgotten or wakes up startled, it may be, literally, the “where am I, how did I get here?” variety. Thanks for the comment.
The times could not be stranger and yet Trump remains in office. For all the damage that John Bolton alone is doing, he seems to keep a rather low-key profile these days.
Bolton is low-profile, because he has the leverage he wants, and knows that outshining Trump is a sure way to get on his bad list. Speaking of low profiles, my post today mentions Jared, the architect of Mideast peace (dual Nobel Peace Prizes for Trump and Jared?), who remains missing in action.