Opinion | Going to War With Iran, Surrounded by Yes Men

One of the defining aspects of the second Trump administration is that there is no one there to tell Donald Trump “no.” No one who can curb his impulses, no one who could tell him or advise him for a better path or a more politically sustainable path. There’s no one there. This is a real contrast with the first Trump administration, which was staffed with quite a few traditional Republican figures. And they would often tell the president: Hey, you might not want to do this, you might want to back off, you might want to calm down. Those people are all gone in this second administration. It is just yes men. Now, for any presidency, this is not good. Even the most capable and competent men who have occupied that office need to be able to get good advice. All of this is incredibly relevant in the context of a war. “The United States military began major combat operations in Iran.” Now, in the case of Trump, he’s gone to war without making the case to the public, without making the case to Congress, without getting the approval of Congress. “It happened all very quickly.” He’s done this unilaterally, and he has not been able to articulate a particular aim or goal. “Eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime.” And the administration seems to have been caught by surprise by some of the developments. “Their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody that, seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead.” Now, my view is that the inability of the administration to really articulate anything like a set of goals is an indication that this was not the right decision. This revelas the extent to which there is no process in the White House that is producing the kinds of information necessary to fight this war effectively. “Metrics are shifting, dust is settling, and more forces are arriving.” Wars require a decision-making process that is open, that allows all kinds of opinions, even ones that challenge your own intuitions to enter the fray. It’s when presidents refuse to see the truth of the wars that they are waging that they often run straight into disaster. “My fellow citizens.” One need look no further than George W. Bush “When are you going to apologize for the million Iraqis that are dead because you lied!” and before him, Lyndon Johnson. “To order the military forces of the United States to take action and reply.” I think this Iran war is a travesty first and foremost. But I am also struck by how this administration thinks so little of the American public, thinks so little of the people who it’s sending to the war “We’ll go as far as we need to go.” And its inability to articulate a convincing rationale should make you very worried about how this will all ultimately unfold.